


Stay Shotgun 'Til the Day I Die

by spontaneoussquirrel17



Series: Lover Come Over [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes Has ADHD, Catholic Steve Rogers, Cigarettes, Fluff and Smut, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Jewish Bucky Barnes, M/M, Marijuana, Mild Daddy Kink, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Oral Sex, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts Feels, Pepper Potts Needs a Hug, Recovery, Steve Rogers Has Issues, Steve Rogers has ADHD, Wedding Night, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-08-11 01:22:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 31,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20145235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spontaneoussquirrel17/pseuds/spontaneoussquirrel17
Summary: Steve and Bucky decide that maybe finally getting married is a good idea.Set in the summer of 2015, when LGBT+ marriage was legalized nationwide in the US.  References events from "Something Tragic About You" and "Bucky, You Can Drive My Car", but definitely works as a stand-alone.Work title from "Next in Line" by Walk the Moon.





	1. Hey, Soul Sister

**Author's Note:**

> If you want more of my Kate Bishop and her OC girlfriend, Maria, check out "The Miseducation of Steven G. Rogers."
> 
> Chapter title is from "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train.

Steve and Bucky were racing each other back to their apartment after sparring. Technically, Tony had forbidden this activity ("You took out an entire wing of the building!"), so they had gotten better about doing it sneakily. Besides, they reasoned, it counted as training if they were practicing stealth, right? Tony could hardly get mad at them for _training_. Tony would also probably prefer this to having to deep-sanitize the gym and locker rooms.Sparring made them both very horny.

Bucky won this time and grinned back at Steve as he yanked open the door and stepped into the apartment. He got barely two steps in before he froze. Steve, obviously not expecting it and not particularly paying attention, walked right into him.He looked to try and find the cause of Bucky's abrupt halt.

There was a foot hanging over the arm of the couch.

"Buck, what's- Kate!" Steve cried and ran over to the tall, dark haired woman in her mid-twenties lounging across the sofa. He scooped her up into a giant hug. Bucky felt a pang of jealousy, which he immediately told himself was stupid. He didn't get a monopoly on Steve.

"Quit it, shitstain, you're killing me," came a muffled voice from somewhere between Steve's pec and his clavicle. Steve laughed at this and put her down. He glanced over and caught Bucky staring.

"James Buchanan Barnes, may I introduce my sister from another mister, Kate Bishop?" Kate perched herself hawk-like on the couch arm that her foot had been hanging off of just a moment ago. She waved. Bucky recognized the grace of a fellow sniper-assassin in her movements. Knowing who she was now, Bucky felt the tension he was holding release and the jealousy disappear. He waved back and walked closer.

"You're the one who watched his six when he first woke up. You helped him come out. You're the reason he's insta famous." Bucky said all this as a statement. Steve had told Bucky all about his first friend after the ice, of course, not that he'd had much choice. Bucky had demanded to know who his weekly video chat was with. He'd never wanted to join in though, even when Steve had offered it. Kate was Steve's thing. He knew it was important for them to have some interests that didn't overlap. Thank you, therapy.

Kate nodded. "Your boy takes a lot of looking after, Buckster. Good thing he's got us, right? I don't think Clint did a very good job after I left and before you got here. I mean, physically, sure, but have you met Clint? He's got the emotional competence of a frat boy and the unhealthy coping mechanisms to boot. Minus the whole rapey thing, thank God."

Bucky smirked. He liked Kate so far. "Clint's a good guy. Steve said he was your mentor?"

Bucky knew that Kate could tell that he was interviewing and assessing her. She was acting as though this was an inevitability— and really, it was.Bucky would have been a horrible assassin-boyfriend if he didn’t interview Steve’s friends thoroughly. Steve didn’t trust others as easily as he used to, but he was still a hell of a lot less careful about it than Bucky.

“Yep,” Kate answered. “Taught me everything I know, unhealthy coping mechanisms included. I actually went to visit him first, but he was in the middle of fucking some redhead and I got more of an eyeful than I really wanted. I told him to meet me here when he was done. I'm pretty sure he heard me, since he turned his hearing aids off after I said it. Pirelli's deliver here?" Kate added hopefully, looking at Steve.

Steve nodded. "I'll call it in. Your pizza order hasn't changed, right?"

Kate made a face. "Maria makes me eat salad when we get pizza now."

Steve nodded again. "Ok. One salad, so we can all stare at it and call it names while it wilts in the middle of the table. Got it. And a six-pack of that shitty beer you drink, right?"

Kate grinned. "This is why you're my brother from another mother, shitstain. Better make it three at least, I wanna show Clint I can drink him under the table now."

"You got it." Steve tactfully went into the room they had turned into an office to make the call, leaving Bucky and Kate to work out whatever it was Steve could tell they needed to work out. Bucky knew it wasn't so much that Steve had learned tact as the fact that he recognized the look Bucky was giving Kate. He clearly didn't want to be there for that conversation. 

Bucky sat down on the couch, but on the opposite end from Kate. She turned so she could see him. Bucky heard the faint murmur of Steve on his phone in the office.They stared without staring for a while, they way overprotective sniper-assassins do. Finally, Bucky spoke. "You left," he accused.

Kate nodded. "I got into law school at Berkeley. I thought about staying here, but Steve told me to go for it. It's one of the best, you know. My girlfriend had gotten into the biochem PhD program there. And S.H.I.E.L.D. needed a sniper on that side of the country. It was perfect. Steve told me I'd be an idiot not to go."

Bucky nodded. "That's Steve." They sat in silence for another minute, now openly staring at each other, before Bucky spoke again. "He was hurting a lot, you know. Started cutting himself to try and deal with it. He had a hard time relating to the rest of the team, I think— well, they're all older'n us, you know? Turns out we thirty-something Depression-era punks have a lot more in common with Millennials and Gen Z than with old rich guys like Tony."

Kate looked horrified at this information. "Fuck. I didn't know- he never told me- I mean, I knew something was off, and that he needed a shitload of therapy and maybe a fuck buddy, but... damn it, I should have known he'd be too stupid to ask for help and turn to healthy coping mechanisms."

“He did have a fuck buddy, give or take half of New York,” Bucky said drily.“That was part of the problem.”Kate’s jaw dropped and tears came into her eyes.Bucky knew Steve well enough to know exactly where Kate was going with this. He could see why they were close. "Don't blame yourself. You couldn't be here, you couldn't know. You needed a life and you went for it. Don't ever feel bad about what happened because you were taking care of yourself."

Kate snorted and gave a wry smile. "I see someone's been in therapy, even if Steve hasn't."

“Yeah,” Bucky said, a ghost of a wry laugh in his voice.“And we did get Steve into therapy too, finally.He’s doing a lot better now.Plus we’ve got Sam— Sam’s a friend with therapeutic benefits. He's mostly helping me now, but I can tell Steve's benefiting too. Sam says we can't actually call it therapy because our personal relationship goes against the ethical code of the licensing board. Tony and Steve say the licensing board can kiss their ass and that the rules don't account for brainwashed super soldiers with trust issues. Sometimes they even say it in unison. It's creepy."

"Now that I'd like to see," Kate said, smiling.

"What, the entire New York Social Work licensing board kissing Steve and Tony's asses, or their creepy twin duet thing?” Bucky asked with a smirk.

"Both. Definitely both." Kate said, and she and Bucky laughed. Steve, who Bucky knew could hear everything from the other room because of his super soldier hearing, decided this was the cue to emerge.

"Pizza will be here in half an hour. Plenty of time to get up to speed— Kate, we need to hear all about Berkeley. I need to know how you've been living in the Bay Area for four years without turning into a stoner hippie yourself.And where’s Maria?” Steve asked as he settled himself in between Bucky and Kate on the couch.He leaned back into Bucky while looking at Kate.Bucky gave Kate a slight nod of approval.Kate was alright. 

Kate smiled in response to Bucky’s nod.“We could only afford one plane ticket right now,” Kate explained in answer to Steve’s question.With that, she began to tell Steve all about her life with Maria.Bucky leaned back and just listened.


	2. Standing There in a Purple Dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nat, Clint, and Sam join Steve, Bucky, and Kate for pizza. Hijinks ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI: Clint is not an asshole. He just has absolutely terrible taste in jokes.
> 
> Chapter title from "Missed Connection" by The Head and the Heart. (That line in the song always makes me think of Kate Bishop for some reason.)

Nat and Clint showed up just in time for pizza with Sam in tow.Bucky watched Natasha slowly assess Kate for herself.After a minute her eyes flicked up to Bucky’s and they exchanged a curt nod of agreement.Kate was part of the Avengers family now, whether she liked it or not.

Tony may have thought he was the head of the Avengers, but it was an open secret that he was primarily the treasurer, tech guru, and social organizer.Steve was leader when it came to combat and team ethos.Natasha was Steve’s second in command.She had essentially stepped into Sergeant Barnes’ role: taking on enforcement and doing the dirty work, with an added emphasis on espionage.Now that Bucky was back and re-entering active duty, it was clear that Natasha’s unspoken goal was to have him take her place as Steve’s second so she could go back to focusing on the espionage aspect of her job.With S.H.I.E.L.D. gone they needed a full-time spy.Captain America needed a second who could handle both making and cleaning up a mess while watching his six.The Winter Soldier and the Black Widow were the obvious choices for the jobs.

Nat cracked open a beer and slid onto the kitchen stool next to Kate.“Clint tells me you’re a lawyer?” she asked.Sam, who was sitting on Kate’s other side, listened attentively.Bucky decided to join them.

“Yeah, I graduated a year ago,” Kate told them.“I’ve mostly spent the past year doing a bunch of pro-bono cleanup work for ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.But now that Maria’s got her PhD I figured it was time to get something that would actually, y’know, pay the bills.”

“Have you talked to Pepper yet?We can always use good lawyers around here,” Natasha hinted.

Kate shook her head.“Not yet.I’m actually hoping to talk to Tony about getting Maria on at Stark Industries.She’s applied for an entry level R&D position but hasn’t heard back yet.”

Natasha pulled out her phone and started tapping.“Alright, you’ve got an appointment with Tony at… ten o’clock tomorrow morning.And you’ve got one with Pepper at…” Nat tapped some more, frowning slightly.“Let’s do two tomorrow afternoon.That gives me more time to work on the stealth taser.”

Kate and Sam stared at Nat in confusion.Sam asked, “Did you just hack into their calendars?” at the same time that Kate asked, “Stealth taser?”

Nat cooly put her phone away.“Yes, I hack into their calendars.Tony hasn’t figured it out yet and Pepper’s fine with it as long as I don’t make too many changes,” she said with a shrug.Turning to Kate, she added, “The stakeholder that was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon is a little… handsy, with assets he’s interested in, so I promised Pepper one of my stealth tasers.The problem is it looks a bit more like my aesthetic than hers, so I need to modify it a bit before I give it to her.I honestly don’t know why Tony hasn’t done this before.”Nat shook her head.

“Men,” Kate muttered.

“Not all men,” Clint said brightly from across the room, clearly teasing.Kate pulled out a switchblade at the same time Natasha pulled out a stiletto.They threw them at Clint in perfect unison, despite no obvious communication between them.Clint ducked.Bucky leapt up and caught both knives before they could lodge themselves in the kitchen cupboards.

“Not. In. My. Kitchen,” Bucky growled, giving Kate and Nat a death glare.

“Is anyone else simultaneously terrified and turned on?No?Just me?” Sam said awkwardly, trying to ease the tension in the kitchen.

“Yes,” Steve and Clint said in unison.Steve was gazing hungrily at Bucky, his running shorts doing absolutely nothing to conceal his boner.Clint was looking at Natasha with pure awe.Kate and Nat glared back at Clint, contenting themselves withglaring daggers instead of throwing more.

“You’d be more than welcome to join Clint and I later,” Nat told Sam, not taking her eyes off Clint.“You too, Kate,” she added.

Kate broke her stare to turn to Natasha with a horrified expression on her face.It perfectly mirrored the expression on Clint’s face.“Sam is fine, Nat, but I draw the line at my much younger lesbian prodigy who happens to be in a healthy, committed relationship!” Clint exclaimed, clearly taken aback.

Nat sighed.“I should’ve known.The good ones are always taken or not poly.”

Bucky could tell that this conversation was either going to lead to a fight or an orgy, and whichever one occurred was going to happen in the middle of his kitchen if he didn’t do something.He glanced across the kitchen at Steve, who looked like he had come to the same conclusion and was trying to decide whether it was hilarious or terrifying.He was sitting down now in a futile attempt to hide the tent in his shorts.Steve caught Bucky’s eye with a look that begged for mercy.Bucky obliged.

“Y’know,” Bucky said in a tone dripping with reminiscence, “this reminds me of that time in Germany— remember when Peggy brought her girlfriend when she met up with us?”Bucky turned to look at Steve meaningfully.

Steve looked confused.“Are you thinking about the time when we had the cow?” he asked.“Or was this the beer hall incident?”

Bucky shook his head.“No, this was the time when Dernier found that barrel of rotgut and we were so damn desperate we drank the whole thing.”

“Oh yeah!” Steve said, realization dawning on his face.“Jones and Dum Dum got into a fight over Peg’s friend, so she snuck off with Morita and Dernier instead!”He started laughing.“Hoo boy, they were not quiet either!She was quite the screamer, wasn’t she?” Steve added.

It was working.The others were beginning to exchange sidelong glances at each other.

“And then when Peggy decided that going back to her tent was too far so she took you right then and there in front of the fire?”Bucky grinned wickedly.

“I tried to tell her no,” Steve demurred, blushing.He always went quiet when Bucky hinted at his past sex life.Bucky knew it was out of respect for Peggy.What Steve didn’t know was that both he and Peggy had chosen to confide in Bucky, which meant that Bucky knew every sordid detail of their sex life.It made exaggeration and fabrication at times like this much easier.

“Yeah, well, she’d only had one mug, remember?” Bucky reminded Steve helpfully.“And since I couldn’t get drunk either, ‘least not like the others, I had no issue joining in when she invited.”Bucky shifted his gaze inwards, smiling softly.“You looked so good, Stevie, with Peggy on your dick and me in your ass.You think Dernier’s family still have the photos?”

“I hope not!” Steve exclaimed, clearly horrified.“You were there the next morning when I told him to burn ‘em, and he was always a man of his word.”

By this point the apartment was vacant.The only sign that there had been a group in the kitchen was a note on the counter that read, “gone to common room.”

“Damn, they even took the pizza boxes,” Bucky grumbled.

“Not all of them,” Steve said, holding up two boxes that he had been surreptitiously hiding in his lap.The others had probably misinterpreted it as a continuation of his attempts to hide his hard-on.“Good work, Buck.”

“Thanks,” Bucky said, sighing with relief as he sat next to Steve and grabbed a slice of pizza.“Think they know we were lying?”

Steve shrugged.“They’ll figure it out at some point,” he said through a mouth full of pizza.

“You guys are such assholes,” Kate grumbled as she lowered herself down from the ceiling vent.She had obviously overheard the last bit of their conversation.“Forgot the beer,” she added as she grabbed it out of the refrigerator.

Steve grinned at her.“Don’t lie, you missed this,” he said.

“Shitstain,” Kate muttered as she climbed back into the vents.“Can’t believe I’m letting Clint talk me into living here with you all.Of all the dumb-ass ideas…”With that, she replaced the vent cover and was gone.

“Of course,” Bucky groaned, gesturing at the ceiling.“Of course she does the thing.One day I’m gonna get over my claustrophobia and give ‘em a taste of their own medicine.”

Steve looked at Bucky fondly.“Yeah ya will, Buck.That’s the spirit.”

“Punk,” Bucky muttered, glaring at Steve.He sank to his knees and began to take care of Steve’s erection.

“Jerk,” Steve replied with a smile, his eyes closing lazily as Bucky sucked and licked.They spent the rest of their evening alone in sheer, absolute bliss.


	3. I Wanna Confess That You Own Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve has some things to talk to Tony and Pepper about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from "Molecules" by Atlas Genius.

The next morning Steve went down to see Tony so early (for Tony) that he wasn’t even in the lab yet.Tony was seldom in the lab before ten a.m. unless he’d been there overnight.Steve made his way to Tony’s apartment instead and knocked.“Come in,” Tony called as JARVIS caused the door to swing open.Steve obligingly stepped inside.

The apartment Tony shared with Pepper was smaller than the others, but completely open— it was, essentially, a two thousand square foot studio.The outside walls were windows.A giant four-poster bed with red and gold curtains was on a raised platform in one corner, with windows on one side and wall on the other.The kitchen area was in the corner diagonally across from the bed.The rest was living space, with plush couches and leather chairs arranged around various focal points: a giant media screen; a giant coffee table with various items for fidgeting strewn over its surface; a small, wooden kitchen table.It was at the latter that Tony sat, drinking a mug of coffee and flipping through a holographic newspaper.He looked up as Steve shut the door behind himself.

“What’s up, Cap?” Tony asked, surprised.“You usually wait for me to wake up a bit before trying to interact.Grab some coffee,” he added as he pulled out the chair next to him.Steve poured himself a mug and sat down.“Did you see that gay marriage is going to the Supreme Court?They’re hearing it next month.It might become legal nationwide.”Tony’s eyes continued to scan the article he was reading.

“Really?” asked Steve, trying very hard not to sound too interested.

Tony finished the article and closed the hologram.“You do know we’ve laid odds, right?” he told Steve, looking directly at him.“Clint thinks you two eloped while you were off Nazi hunting.Nat thinks you’ll eschew marriage and just shack up for the rest of your lives.My money’s on a big white wedding with half the city in attendance and a rainbow theme.”

Steve opened and shut his mouth in surprise.He wasn’t sure why the news was so unexpected.The kitchen cabinets in the common room were covered in various public bets and challenges.He knew there were some that were less public, but he’d naively assumed they’d all been personal things between the bettors— not things like his and Bucky’s relationship status.“Well,” he finally said, “Don’t tell Clint he’s wrong until Bucky and I are there to witness it.We’ll wanna see his face.”

“I knew it!” Tony crowed, bouncing slightly and sloshing his coffee.

Steve blushed.“Actually,” he said, “This isn’t why I came, but while we’re on the subject— do you think you could make a ring out of Vibranium?It wouldn’t have to be fancy, or huge, or anything, I just thought—“

Tears welled up in Tony’s eyes.“Because of your shield.Of course.You want to give Bucky a piece of yourself.And here you say you’re shit with romance!”He playfully punched Steve in the arm.

“I’m gonna insist on paying for it,” Steve stated forcefully.“I want it to really be from me.”

Tony looked as though he was about to argue, but seemed to think better of it.“I’ll have Pepper bill you,” he said.

Steve’s face softened, lit from a happiness deep within.He clapped a hand on Tony’s shoulder and looked into his eyes.“Thank you, Tony.You don’t know how much this means to me.”

Tony shrugged Steve’s hand off and waved one of his own airily.“Don’t mention it,” he muttered, looking uncomfortable.“What was the real reason you came to see me?”

“Maria’s applied for a job with R&D.I wanted to put in a good word.”Steve fiddled with his coffee cup, feeling a little guilty at asking for two favors at once.

Tony frowned and pulled up a holographic web page.“Kate’s girlfriend?I thought I had her name flagged— anything she submitted was supposed to come directly to me.I’ll have to have a word with HR.”Tony pulled up a memo pad, wrote something with his finger, and closed the hologram again.“Kid’s got the job as soon as I can make it official.I’ve had my eye on her since she joined S.H.I.E.L.D.Smart woman.”

Steve visibly relaxed.“Good,” he said, “because you’ve got a meeting with Kate about it at ten this morning.”

Tony started.“The hell I do— JARVIS, what’s my schedule look like this morning?”

“Sir, you do indeed have a meeting with Kate Bishop in your lab in fifteen minutes.Shall I tell her you’ll be late?”

Tony leaped up, grabbed his cup of coffee, and headed for the door.“Nope— I’ll see her soon— thanks Cap!”The door slammed behind him.Steve sat for a minute as he finished his own coffee.Asking Tony for the ring had given him butterflies.Once his nerves had regained equilibrium, he carefully placed the mug in the dishwasher and left.

Steve’s next stop was Pepper’s office.He knew he would be just in time to catch her during her ten a.m. coffee break.He stopped to pick up her usual latte— may as well save her aid the trouble, since he was going there anyway— and reached Pepper’s office door just as she was ushering her previous appointment out.

“Steve!” Pepper exclaimed, her business smile melting into a real one.“So good to see you— come on in!”

“I brought you your coffee,” Steve said, holding it up lamely.

“Thank you so much,” Pepper said as she took it.She sipped it and smiled, then asked, “What do you need?”

Steve smiled ruefully.He clearly needed to spend more time with people that didn’t involve asking for favors.He had to admit, he’d been a little preoccupied since Bucky had returned.“You heard Kate Bishop’s back in town, right?” Steve asked.

Pepper nodded. “I was aware,” she said.“You’re offering yourself as a reference for the job I’ll be offering her this afternoon?”

“Ms. Potts, you are a wonder,” Steve told her, meaning every single syllable.

“I know,” Pepper said, smiling.“Now go tell Bucky I’ll meet with him on my three o’clock.”

“More of the legal personhood paperwork?” Steve asked, curious.He knew that Pepper was slowly working on making Bucky ‘real’ again in the eyes of the U.S. government.It seemed to take an incredible amount of paperwork, money, and connections.

“If you don’t know I’m not telling you,” Pepper said sternly.“Some of us in this building believe in confidentiality.”

“Of course,” Steve said, inclining his head.He knew better than to press.“Thank you, Pepper!”He left Pepper’s office with a cheery wave and a spring in his step.Things were looking good for Kate and Bucky.For himself, too, he thought, feeling a little selfish.Then Steve smiled to himself wryly at the thought of feeling selfish for being happy that he was able to help others.With a slight shake of his head he turned towards the elevators and headed back to his apartment.


	4. Didn't Have a Dime But I Always Had a Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky has some things to talk to Tony and Pepper about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from "High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco.

Bucky often went to the gym while Steve went on his runs.Today when he went he ran into Kate.“Wanna train?” he asked her, carefully casual.Bucky wasn’t really sure how much their workouts would have in common, but Kate was Steve’s friend, so he wanted to get to know her better.

“Sure,” Kate replied with a shrug.“We can take turns spotting.”

They lifted weights mostly in silence, occasionally commenting when one needed a posture check.It wasn’t until they were stretching to cool down afterwards that Kate started a conversation.“Have you two thought about getting married?”

Bucky took a deep breath at the unexpected question.“It’s come up,” he admitted.

“Do you think you’re going to?” Kate asked.

“I haven’t given it much thought,” Bucky lied.

“You really should,” Kate informed him.“I think Steve would be really hurt if you two never made it official.For all he claims to be bad at romantic shit, he’s a huge softie.”She looked down at her fitness watch.“I have to go get ready for a meeting with Tony.See you round!”She grabbed her bag and left with a wave.

Bucky waved back and grabbed his own bag.He took the elevator up to the roof and walked over to his favorite corner by the greenhouse.He could sit with the greenhouse at his back, all of New York City in front of him.Bucky pulled a cigarette out of the stash box he kept hidden under a planter and lit it, watching the smoke blur his view of Manhattan below.

He’d heard that being gay was legal shortly after coming out of his programming.Bucky had held onto it like a life preserver.Maybe— just maybe— if he pulled through and became a functional human being again he could tell Steve how he felt.How he had always felt.Bucky had been spent months agonizing about how Steve might respond, terrified of ruining the one good thing he felt he had in his life.Instead, Steve had been the first one to slip up and say “I love you.” 

Now they were intimate in thousands of little ways Bucky had never even imagined.The brush of a hand as one passed behind the other in the kitchen.Their legs tangling together on the couch as they read and drew.The hyper-awareness of where the other was in space whenever they were in the same room.All the habits they had created while living together in Brooklyn, and then during the war, adapted to the 21st century and the shift in their relationship.When Sam joked that Bucky and Steve were like an old married couple he wasn’t exactly wrong.

But actual marriage?That definitely felt too good to be true.Bucky knew it was legal in New York.He’d even heard that there was the possibility it would become legal nationwide.There were days when Bucky could hardly believe his good fortune in having Steve like this.Asking Steve to marry him— to tie himself to Bucky for, ostensibly, the rest of their lives?

They’d already done that, though, Bucky reflected as he exhaled a large puff of smoke.They’d made so many serious promises to each other already.They’d even discussed going out as a murder-suicide rather than living without each other.Bucky had been joking, but he knew that Steve was deadly serious.Steve had already tried it once, the dramatic little shit, and that was even before realizing he was in love with Bucky.If they were a normal, non-serum couple, like that girl from Twilight, Bucky would be screaming at himself to run away.But they weren’t normal.They hadn’t aged a day since 1943.How many more generations would they outlive?And how could anyone face doing that alone?

Bucky thought wryly of Sherlock Holmes as he deposited the butt of his first cigarette in the small can he kept for such purposes.This was definitely a two-cigarette problem.As Bucky lit his second cigarette and inhaled, he shifted his thoughts over to what he wanted.Not what Steve might want.Not what an outsider looking at their relationship might tell them they wanted.What he, Bucky Barnes, wanted.

Bucky closed his eyes and took a deep drag of his cigarette.Images popped into his mind.Steve in a tux, looking radiant, surrounded by flowers and light.Bucky’s ring on Steve’s finger.Steve looking at a baby, rapture and adoration on his face.Steve proudly calling Bucky his husband.Bucky looking at Steve’s tired but happy face over the dinner table.Steve’s kiss first thing in the morning, sleepy and soft.Steve painting their kids’ faces for Halloween.Steve on his motorcycle, in tight jeans and a leather jacket, giving Bucky his most wicked James Dean smile.Steve telling Bucky how much he needed him.

Bucky shivered and opened his eyes.He wanted Steve.He wanted to marry Steve.He wanted everything that could come along with that.He shut his eyes again, focusing on the ring his mind had created.He nodded and opened his eyes again.Bucky would need to talk to Tony and Pepper.He could do this.It was time to propose to Steve.

Bucky was able to time his visit to Tony for right after Kate was finished meeting with him.He watched Kate leave before entering the lab itself.“Hey Tony,” he called out as he entered.

“Hey, Buckaroo, what’s up?” Tony asked.“You have a favor to ask me?I’m feeling magnanimous today.Anything you want, it’s yours.”Bucky eyed Tony curiously.“Steve came to see me about— well, about Kate, and then Kate came to see me about Maria, and I can do everything for all of them, so I’m feeling a bit on top of the world today,” Tony said blithely.

“Do you still have some of the scrap metal from my arm?” Bucky asked.

Tony frowned, thinking.“I should have some somewhere.Why?You need an adjustment?”

“No,” Bucky said slowly, “I was wondering if you could make me a ring.Well, not me, actually.Steve.”Tony blinked owlishly.Bucky started to worry.“Tony?” he asked, nervous.

Actual tears were beginning to well up in Tony’s eyes.“Of course I can make a ring, Buckyballs,” he said with extra swagger, apparently trying to make up for his emotional display.“Out of scraps.From your arm.So you can give Steve a physical part of you.Holy fucking mother of God get out of here Barnes-cat before I start crying.I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

“Oo-kay,” Bucky said slowly, backing up.Once he was out of Tony’s lab he fled.

Pepper had delivered a message via a very confused Steve that three in the afternoon would be a good meeting time.It was a little eerie how Pepper knew Bucky wanted to meet with her before he’d even spoken with her.Tony must have texted her.At any rate, Bucky was sure to be punctual— Pepper was a very busy woman, after all, and God knows who was paying her for all the time she spent on Avengers’ business.Precisely at three o’clock Pepper ushered Kate out the door with a smile and a handshake and ushered Bucky in.He nodded to Kate, who was grinning, as they passed each other.Bucky followed Pepper into her office.

“So,” Pepper said as she seated herself behind her desk, “You’re wanting to know more about your legal status?”

“Yes ma’am,” Bucky answered politely.

“Everything’s in place.You’re fully legal as of right now.I’m happy to present you with your social security card and your driver’s license.”Pepper passed a fat envelope across the desk to Bucky.He took it and opened it, his hands trembling.It was all there as Pepper said, plus a lot more paperwork that would take some reading and the internet to fully understand.

“Thank you,” Bucky rasped.He was too full of emotion to say much else.Officially, legally, he was no longer The Asset.He wasn’t even really the Winter Soldier, even though he’d kept the code name.He was really and truly James Buchanan Barnes once again in every sense possible.

Pepper seemed to understand that Bucky needed a moment.She took a long drink from her water bottle as Bucky sniffed and wiped away a tear.He gave her a watery smile.

“We have our legal team working on your case right now,” Pepper informed him softly.“Luckily, all of your files are so highly classified that technically no one alive has permission to read them, let alone share them.We’re just waiting on a formal court ruling that there is insufficient evidence to conduct a trial.”

Bucky blinked for a moment.Natasha must have illegally downloaded his files if no one alive had the security clearance to access them.He was extremely grateful to her for allowing himself, Steve, and Sam to read them completely unredacted.“Thank you,” Bucky said again, softly.

“As to your reappearance, will you want to conduct a press conference?” Pepper asked, “Or would you prefer we release a statement concerning your identity and your plans going forward?”

“Could we do both?” Bucky asked hesitantly.“I don’t really want to- to explain everything, but I could answer questions.”He’d never been particularly good at public speaking, despite having a dramatic streak a mile wide.

Pepper nodded.“A good idea.Perhaps Natasha could read a prepared statement and then reporters could ask questions?” she asked.

Bucky nodded his agreement.“Could Sam and Steve be there too?”As much as Bucky loved Natasha, here presence was nowhere near as comforting as Steve’s and Sam’s were.If his anxiety led to a panic attack—

“Of course.”Pepper smiled softly.She checked her smart watch.“I have another meeting right now, but I’ll let you know when I have it scheduled.”

“You’re the best,” Bucky told Pepper warmly as he stood up and made for the door.

“I know,” Pepper said, smiling back.


	5. Even the Mistakes Aren't Really Mistakes At All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky, Steve, Natasha, and Sam give a press conference to announce Bucky's return to the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? I'm in love with the "Steve and Bucky misbehaving at press conferences" trope. It was a good excuse. ;)
> 
> More thoughts on my "Steve and Bucky are ADHD" headcanon at the end.
> 
> Chapter title from "Molecules" by Atlas Genius.

Sam looked from Bucky to Steve to Natasha, his face covered in skepticism.“You want to do what now?” he asked Bucky, clearly not believing his ears.

“Pepper and I are arranging a press conference,” Bucky said impatiently.It shouldn’t be that hard to understand.“Natasha will read a statement about who I am and what happened, and then the three of us will take questions while Nat looks threatening in the background.”

Steve looked at Bucky, obviously concerned.“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Babe?” he asked.

Bucky steeled himself as he nodded.“I am.I have to do it at some point.”

Sam shook his head.“You really don’t, man,” he told Bucky.“You could live the rest of your life completely anonymous if you wanted to.”

“Yeah, while dating Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America and running around New York as an Avenger.Real incognito,” Bucky replied sarcastically.

Sam looked beaten. “Ok,” he sighed.“When are we doing this?”

“1700 hours,” Bucky informed them.“Be made up and ready to go by 1650.”

Sam looked at his watch.It was 1600 now.He let out a low whistle.“Alright, see you all in an hour,” he said.They parted ways to get ready for the shit show.

Sam, Bucky, Steve, and Natasha met in the anteroom to the press room at 1650.Natasha was wearing a professional black leather suit with a white blouse.Bucky had not known before that moment that professional suits made from black leather existed, but clearly they did, and they were also very clearly Natasha’s aesthetic.He made a mental note to ask her where one could obtain such things.It would be good to have if he ever needed to intimidate someone while also being dressed up. 

Bucky’s aesthetic overlapped quite a bit with Natasha’s.In fact, despite telling the others to be presentable, Bucky had not bothered to clean up his stubble and he hadn’t done anything with his hair.He knew it helped him give off a pricklier aura.Bucky didn’t want to be seen as approachable— he’d seen enough of modern celebrity culture to know he wanted no part of that.He wore tight red skinny jeans and a tight navy muscle tank with Steve’s shield on it.It was an outfit calculated to highlight his muscles and show off his metal arm.Bucky wanted to make it clear who he was and where his loyalties lay.

In contrast to Bucky and Nat’s more intimidating looks, Steve had trimmed his beard and slicked back his shaggy blonde hair.He’d gone for a white v-neck shirt underneath a gray cardigan and a pair of dark-rinse straight-cut jeans.It was a look that said, ‘I’ll pick up the kids from soccer on the way home from my meeting also tonight we’ll enjoy this nice bottle of wine I found when I did the grocery shopping.’Sam, meanwhile, was wearing a blue short-sleeve button up tucked into a loose pair of khakis with a brown belt.His goatee and hair were, as always, impeccable.Bucky thought Sam looked like a goddamned grandpa compared to the rest of them.

Pepper stuck her head in.“Ready?” she asked.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Bucky said drily.He was nervous.

“Alright then, you’re on,” Pepper said.Natasha followed Pepper into a room full of flash bulbs.Steve went next, followed by Bucky, with Sam bringing up the rear.They sat in a row at a table on a raised platform that had been set up with microphones.Bucky counted his breaths and reached for Steve’s hand under the table.He was thankful that Pepper had thought to drape a tablecloth over it, concealing the lower half of their bodies from the rest of the room.Steve took Bucky’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

Nat began to read the statement Pepper had prepared.“In October of 2013, a former Soviet operative was apprehended while acting on Hydra’s behalf.It was discovered that this operative was none other than Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, who had been presumed dead after falling from a railroad bridge during World War II.It was ascertained that while a prisoner, Sergeant Barnes had received a form of the serum that his friend, Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, had been given.Sergeant Barnes was then put through over half a century of physical and psychological torture, including high-voltage electrical shocks to the brain, deprivation of basic needs, cryogenic freezing, and the like.After spending the latter half of the 20th century as a depersonalized weapon, he was finally able to break through his programming with the help of his childhood best friend, Steve Rogers; VA therapist and former military pararescue, Sam Wilson; and his former protégée who had already broken through similar programming— yours truly, Natasha Romanov.”At this Nat gave a little wave and a terrifying smile.The audience shifted uncomfortably.

“Sergeant Barnes has already shown incredible bravery and dedication to his country.His service record with the Howling Commandos is public knowledge.Most recently, he spearheaded a successful effort to destroy every remaining Hydra cell.His loyalty, skills, and upright character have earned him a place on the Avengers Team.Sergeant Barnes has accepted this position with gratitude and has expressed that he is looking forward to serving the world in a positive capacity once again,” Natasha finished.She shuffled her cue cards.“We will now open the floor to questions.”

It was utter chaos.Cameras flashed, reporters shouted, and several Stark Industries bodyguards had to physically intervene to force reporters back from the table.Bucky heard Steve’s knuckles start to crack and realized that he was squeezing Steve’s hand too tightly.He released his grip a little and refocused on counting breaths.He felt Sam place a hand on his knee.Bucky gave Sam a tiny nod of thanks.

Pepper walked over to a podium in the corner of the room and held up her hand.A hush fell over the room.She had been waiting just out of sight in case intervention was necessary; clearly, it was.“One at a time, please,” she said sternly.Hands shot up.Pepper pointed.

“Sergeant Barnes, why wait to make your return public?Why now?”

Bucky took a deep breath and leaned in towards the microphone.“Well,” he said slowly, “I wanted to make sure I was still myself first, and then I needed time to recover.Anyone who’s experienced trauma will tell you it’s not always easy.But I’m doing enough better now that I want to be able to help, which means people are gonna see me, and I don’t wanna be answering questions in the middle of a fight.”A couple people snickered at this.Bucky felt himself relaxing a little.It was just like performing for a girl.He could do this.

“Sergeant Barnes, you referenced trauma.Are you saying you’re mentally ill?Shouldn’t the serum fix that?”

Bucky frowned.“I just heal faster, that’s all.Someone stabs me, I still have a wound that heals, right?Well, someone spent 70 years frying every brain cell I have to try and make me forget who I was and what I’d done.That’s not gonna heal in a day.Hell, my anxiety’s through the roof just bein’ here right now.But I’ve got good therapists and good friends, and I know I’ve gotta do this, so I’m here.”He finished with a shrug.More cameras flashed.Bucky glanced at Steve, who was smiling at him with pride and adoration.

“Captain Rogers, what was it like getting your best friend back?”

“Better than I could have ever imagined,” Steve said softly, not taking his eyes off of Bucky.Bucky couldn’t help but smile back.So much for looking prickly.

“Mr. Wilson, in your professional experience, would you say that what Sergeant Barnes has experienced is normal?”

Sam pulled his microphone closer.“I would say that it is very typical for anyone who goes through any sort of trauma to experience PTSD.I wouldn’t go so far as to say PTSD is ‘normal’, though— it’s a diagnosis for a reason.We’re just people who’ve been through a lot, and that’s ok.We can get through it with the help of mental health professionals and a strong support network of friends and family.I think Barnes here is proof of that.”

“Sergeant Barnes, what are your diagnoses?”

Sam, Natasha, Steve, and Pepper all glowered at the woman who asked the question.Steve began to rise in anger, but was stayed by a squeeze from Bucky.“Well, first off, that’s an incredibly rude question,” Bucky replied calmly.His face was carefully blank and neutral except for a subtle murderous glint in his eye— a look he had perfected as the Winter Soldier.Several reporters shifted uncomfortably in their seats again.“But I’m gonna be an impulsive dumbass and answer it anyway, because if Steve can do good by coming out, maybe I can do good by being open about my issues.”The glares from his friends softened, but the room was still tense.

“PTSD and Adjustment Disorder are the big ones,” Bucky continued, “although I’ve kinda got every sort of anxiety disorder in the book far as I can tell.When I’m going through a lot my aphasia comes back.I’m also ADHD— I was always real active growin’ up, ran my mouth a lot, had a hard time gettin’ my brain to stop chatterin’.I’m still that way.”

Steve nodded at Bucky and then pulled his own microphone close.“I’m that way too, you know.Everyone said I was off in my own little world, drawin’ my sketches— well, today we’d call that hyperfocus.”

“You still need help with that impulse control,” Bucky interjected with a teasing jab of his elbow.

“Baeucky,” Steve complained, clearly shifting what had started as a term of endearment into Bucky’s name._Talk about lack of impulse control_, Bucky thought.Unfortunately, Steve’s gaff was not lost on the crowd of reporters.Natasha, Pepper, and Sam physically braced themselves.

“Sergeant, Captain, are you two an item?We know Captain Rogers is gay; are you as well, Sergeant?”

Bucky’s eyes met Steve’s.In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought.“I think the term you’re looking for is bi,” Bucky said with a hint of a growl.Steve barely had time to register his surprise as Bucky pulled him in and kissed him, hard and needy.Bucky felt Steve melt into him, full of his own need.He was dimly aware of cameras flashing and a roar of voices before being physically ushered offstage by Sam and Nat.

“Get them out of here, I’ll cover for them,” Bucky heard Nat tell Sam.They made it into the hallway just as a shrieking Pepper could be heard entering the anteroom.

“You two sure know how to give one hell of an interview,” Sam said, shaking his head in disbelief at what had just happened as they made their way into the elevator.

Steve and Bucky broke apart as the doors closed.“Sam?” Steve said, a little breathless.

“Yeah?” Sam replied, clearly unsure whether he wanted to hear what Steve was about to say.

“Order in dinner for the group, would you?It’s on us.We’ll be down in a bit.”Steve resumed kissing Bucky after he said this, his hands reaching for Bucky’s ass.Bucky moaned at the contact.

“Fine,” Sam huffed, “but you’re also paying the bar tab.”Bucky gave him a thumbs up.The elevator stopped at their floor and Steve and Bucky practically tumbled out.“And it’s gonna be steaks and single malt scotch for everyone!” they heard Sam yell as the elevator doors shut behind them.Bucky just grinned into Steve’s kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have ADHD myself (Why did you think I'm such a prolific writer? Hyperfocus, baby!) and I totally see those traits in Steve and Bucky. They're both impulsive, a bit hotheaded, and perform well under pressure (ADHD people tend to seek out high-stimulation jobs and hobbies.) They're incredibly smart people who are also fully capable of making incredibly dumb decisions. I headcanon them as almost flip sides of the same coin. 
> 
> Bucky's totally the hyperactive subtype; he's got to move to the point of exhaustion to quiet his mind. Before the war he was always chasing the next distraction that might calm his mind (fights, cigarettes, athletics, sex, work, alcohol, Steve.) He's good at sniping because it's a strategic challenge and he's got that drive to be the best. On top of that, he notices absolutely everything, his overactive brain can keep him company while he's waiting, and the tightly coiled feeling he gets from having to be so still is almost like stored energy for the battle. He's the type that thinks they thrive on chaos when in reality it makes them just kind of a hot mess.
> 
> Steve's a bit more mixed subtype, leaning a lot towards inattentive. When he's being observant he notices everything. When he's wrapped up in his own world, a bomb could go off and he might maybe notice? He didn't really discover physical activity as an outlet until after the serum since he was so sick and often just existing would have been exhausting. Once Steve discovered being an adrenalin junkie he never looked back. Steve is the type that falls apart without a strict schedule.
> 
> I think Steve and Bucky calm each other down well because of this too. In a sense, taking care of each other has unconsciously helped them figure out how to calm themselves. Bucky knows that Steve needs deep breaths, gentle sensory stimulation, a kind voice, etc. when he's keyed up. Steve uses the exact same techniques on Bucky. All the ADHD people I'm friends with who are in successful relationships are with the one person whose presence, etc. calms and grounds them. Bucky and Steve are that for each other. (When they're not playing off each other and riling themselves up, but hey, that's all relationships, right? Right?)


	6. Light Up Your Wildest Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 100% filthy smut and tooth-rotting fluff. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from "High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco.

“That,” Steve panted as he and Bucky crashed into their apartment and made their way haphazardly to the bedroom, “was definitely sexier than it should’ve been.”He pulled Bucky’s t-shirt off and began to work on his jeans as Bucky tried to push Steve’s sweater onto the floor.Steve helped Bucky work it off his arms and then pushed Bucky’s skinny jeans as low as they would go.Bucky awkwardly stepped out of them as he took off Steve’s shirt and jeans.It was satisfying to note than neither of them had put on underwear.Steve pushed Bucky down onto the bed.

“Wrestle for top?” Bucky suggested, his low, rough voice matching his smirk and the dangerous, desirous glint in his eyes.

“I seem to have you pinned,” Steve murmured, low and dangerous himself.He was holding Bucky down by his wrists; one thigh pinned Bucky’s leg down, while the other pressed into Bucky’s side along his hip.Their faces were almost touching.

Bucky shifted so that his lips just brushed Steve’s ear.“You forget,” he breathed, beginning to work his hips as best he could in Steve’s hold.“I know all your weaknesses, Daddy.” 

Steve moaned.Bucky bit gently on Steve’s earlobe and tugged.Steve closed his eyes in pleasure as Bucky began to nip his way down to the sensitive spot just under Steve’s jaw.Bucky felt Steve loosen his grip, and then—

Using the momentum he’d been building in his hips, Bucky twisted his legs out of Steve’s hold.He followed with his upper body, straining his abs and obliques, shifting his grip underneath Steve’s hands so that they were now holding hands instead of Steve’s hands around Bucky’s wrists.Bucky grinned down at Steve from where he was now on top.“Who’s Daddy now?” he teased in a low, sultry voice.

“I am, Baby,” Steve growled as he hooked a leg around Bucky’s waist and flipped them over again, bringing them both to the edge of the bed.Bucky’s breath caught with desire.So _that’s_ how this was going to go. 

Bucky knew that their use of the term “daddy” during sex was a bit non-traditional, partly because Steve preferred being called “doll” to being called “baby,” and partly because they both enjoyed taking control and forcing the other one to accept being taken care of.From what Bucky had read online most people didn’t enjoy both roles.Then again, most people also apparently had a definite preference for top or bottom.Steve and Bucky both agreed that their preference was for orgasms every which way they could get and give them.Quick, stolen orgasms.Long, drawn out orgasms.Overstimulated orgasms.Intimate orgasms.Feral, filthy, screaming orgasms.Quiet, happy, contented orgasms.Each one was special, and magical, and _theirs_.

Bucky slid down and began to blow Steve, letting Steve’s dick fall into his open mouth, pulling Steve’s hips down towards his face.“Oh Baby,” Steve groaned.He tilted his face upward; his back curved.Bucky grabbed Steve just above his waist and flipped him over, back towards the middle of the bed, gently catching the head of Steve’s penis with his teeth so it couldn’t fall out of Bucky’s mouth as they shifted positions.Steve grabbed Bucky by the hair and it was Bucky’s turn to moan, the vibrations around Steve’s cock making Steve arch off the bed with desire.Steve yanked harder, forcing Bucky to let Steve go and crawl back up towards Steve’s face and kiss him.With his other hand Steve reached back and began to tease Bucky’s rim, circling it with a spit-slick fingertip.Bucky tried to ease himself onto Steve’s finger, then winced.

“I think you wanna ride me,” Steve said quietly, dangerously, as he reached for the lube and squirted it onto his fingers.He pushed one into Bucky, who groaned and pushed back onto Steve’s hand.Steve added a second finger in response and began to scissor them roughly inside Bucky.“I think you wanna make yourself take it, Baby,” Steve continued, now adding a third finger.“Or would you rather be on all fours?” Steve suggested with a wicked smirk as he began to work on Bucky’s prostate.“Either way,” he continued, his voice dripping with barely-controlled desire, “you want the feel of your ass slapping against me.You _like_ it.”Bucky shivered and whined with need.“You do!” Steve crowed.“Oh, Baby, I wonder if you’d like it if I spanked you.You wanna try that, Babe?You want Daddy to spank you while we fuck?”Steve pulled his fingers out of Bucky and began to lube his dick.

“Yes,” Bucky gasped.He wasn’t sure where this was coming from, or why he wanted it— by all rights he shouldn’t want it, not with his history of torture, and yet— well, no one had slapped the Winter Solder’s ass, had they?His abusers had always gone for more sensitive body parts.Bucky uttered a quick prayer of thanks that his tormenters had left this one thing for him and Steve.

Steve grasped Bucky’s waist firmly and gently, slowly, pulled Bucky down on top of him.Bucky moaned and threw his head back with pleasure as he bottomed out.Steve began to shift his hips underneath Bucky, slow, rhythmic pulses.“Bucky,” he said, suddenly serious, “You’ll tell me if we go too far, right?Before we do, if possible?”

“Of course, Stevie,” Bucky panted, beginning to slowly work himself up and down on Steve’s dick.“If I say stop or I freeze up, you stop.If I say more, gimme more.I start hollerin’, well—“ Bucky interrupted himself with a contented sigh as he found an angle that worked his prostate nicely.

“Keep goin’,” Steve finished for him, grinning.“Copy that, Sarge.”

“Roger that, Cap,” Bucky hissed through gritted teeth.He sank all the way down onto Steve again, and Steve took that as his cue to give Bucky’s ass a gentle slap.Bucky hummed with pleasure.“Harder, Daddy,” he told Steve, and then “harder,” and then “harder!,” Bucky’s eyes pleading with Steve for more.

Steve grabbed Bucky on an upward movement and pulled out.Bucky whined, prompting Steve to tell him “Don’t worry, Baby, I got you.”He shifted Bucky so that he was facing the bed.Bucky took his cue and knelt, dropping down to his forearms.He looked back in time to watch Steve sink back into him.Steve’s hair was loose now, framing his face, a few strands sticking to the sweat on his forehead.He looked feral, needy; his eyes were closed, and Bucky could see that he was biting his bottom lip hard enough to draw a bead of blood.Steve raised his arm and Bucky, knowing what was coming, rested his forehead between his forearms and closed his eyes, waiting for it—

The sting of Steve’s hand, paired with sensation of Steve filling him, pounding him, meeting his prostate with thrust after thrust— it was more than Bucky knew he wanted.“Steve,” Bucky cried, feeling a bit feral himself— “Stevie doll, fuck me, make me cum, babydoll, fuck me so good, my darling, darling daddy doll, oh STEVE!”Steve thrust into Bucky hard and deep, filling him with cum, and gave him a particularly hard slap at the same time.Steve pulled out and Bucky collapsed.He began to sob.

Steve lay down next to Bucky and pressed himself against him.“Are you ok?” he asked, his eyes filled with concern and his mouth turned down in the corners.

Bucky couldn’t make himself stop crying.“I need to cum, Daddy,” he sobbed.“I need- please—“He looked at Steve through his tears, begging for release.

“Of course, Baby,” Steve said, warm and soft, and he began to caress his way down Bucky’s body to his twitching cock.He slowly slid his mouth down, taking Bucky all the way in.This was all Bucky needed.He cried out, a wild, guttural shout, and came down Steve’s throat.Steve swallowed and slowly worked his mouth off Bucky’s shaft, kissing and licking his way towards the tip, humming with pleasure at the taste of his and Bucky’s mingled sweat and semen.He gently released Bucky’s penis and stretched out on his side against him, gazing into Bucky’s eyes adoringly.“Better?” he asked tenderly.

“Oh Stevie,” Bucky replied adoringly, shifting onto his side and cupping Steve’s head in his flesh hand.“I never woulda thought I’d like that, but that was—“

“Incredible,” Steve finished for him, closing his eyes.A soft smile crept onto Steve’s face and then his eyes were open again, his bright baby blues gazing into Bucky’s deep, ice-blue eyes.

“An’ all I had ta do was kiss ya at a press conference,” Bucky laughed.

Steve laughed with him.“We are gonna be so fucked,” he said.

“Yeah we are,” Bucky said suggestively, winking at Steve.Steve laughed again and pulled Bucky close.Bucky felt Steve pause for a moment.Steve’s pulse, which had been slowly returning to normal, spiked again.

“Hey, Buck,” Steve said slowly, pulling back so he could see Bucky’s face.“Do you wanna do this forever?”Steve looked serious.

“Of course, punk.I’m with ya ‘til the end of the line.”Bucky gazed into Steve’s eyes.He’d always imagined a more romantic proposal than this, but really, what was a sunset on the beach compared to the raw honesty of the moment?

“No,” Steve said, looking I little distressed, “I mean it.You and me.”

Bucky couldn’t help but roll his eyes.“Married.Yes, Steve, I want that.I was gonna wait to ask ya until I had a ring, but you’ve never been patient, have ya Stevie?”He smiled adoringly at Steve.

Steve grinned at Bucky.“Here, let’s— let’s do this properly, or as properly as we can without rings.”He raised himself up to one knee on the bed and took Bucky’s hand.“James Buchanan Barnes, will you marry me?”

Bucky rose up on one knee himself.“Only if you agree to marry me, Steven Grant Rogers.”He couldn’t help grinning like an idiot.They laughed with glee and bounced towards each other, knocking their faces together in their attempt to kiss.This led to more laughter, and more attempts at kissing, until they were wrapped tightly around each other on the bed again with their lips locked.“I love you, Steve,” Bucky whispered, so full of the emotion he thought he would burst.

“I love you too, Bucky,” Steve whispered back.They lay wrapped together, hearts beating as one, soaking in the bliss of the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *deep breath* ~SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE~ *exhales*


	7. Maybe Now's the Time to Be Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky tell the rest of the team they're engaged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact-- it turns out that both my husband and my friend thought I'd always known that in the 1930s and 40s the term "punk" was used by the gay community to refer to a boyish-looking bottom to older men called "wolves." I didn't actually learn this until yesterday. Did anyone involved in the making of the Captain America movies know this? No clue. Does it reinforce that Steve and Bucky are hella gay? Definitely. Did I rush to add this fun little tidbit into my fic? Noooo, obviously not...
> 
> Chapter title from "Molecules" by Atlas Genius.

“Should we tell them?” Bucky asked Steve as they made their way to the common room for the steak and whiskey Sam had promised they were paying for.Steve couldn’t stop staring at Bucky.He had never seen someone look so much like the heart eyes emoji before.

“Do you want to?” Steve asked.He still couldn’t believe it— that he had asked like that, and that Bucky had said yes.It was literally a dream come true.

Bucky laughed, easy and deep.“They’re gonna take one look at your face and know, pal.You look like someone just gave you the stars.” 

He himself looked as though he’d been handed the sun as he looked at Steve adoringly.Steve thought about pointing this out, but settled for simply saying, “You did.You’re my universe, Buck.”

“Goddamn it Steve, you’re gonna make me cry,” Bucky grumbled.He wrapped his metal arm tightly around Steve’s waist.“You were always better at romance where it counted, Stevie.Dates, flowers, all that Valentinesy shit— nona that matters when you’ve got the stuff straight from the heart.”

“I like those things, Bucky,” Steve said quietly.“I like it when you give me flowers and take me on dates like I’m your dame.It makes us happy.”Bucky just squeezed Steve’s waist a little tighter in reply.

When they reached the common room a hush fell over the group.Tony, Pepper, Clint, Nat, Sam, Kate, Peter, and Bruce sat frozen around the dining table in various stages of eating steak.Pepper slowly rose from her chair, her eyes beginning to glow red.Steve and Bucky stopped in their tracks, Bucky’s arm still around Steve.Steve wrapped his arm around Bucky protectively in anticipation.

“Why,” Pepper began, “_Why_ did you let me think it was a good idea to allow the two of you to conduct a press conference together?”

With her hands on her hips, her thin frame, her blonde hair, and her stern face, Pepper looked so much like Steve’s ma in her later years at that moment that Steve and Bucky reflexively muttered “Sorry, Ma” in unison and stared abashedly at the floor.

“You’d better be,” Pepper hissed.“Fox News is already having a field day.It was bad enough that you both admitted to having mental health issues, but coming out and kissing your boyfriend in the same press conference?We’re trying to create an image for you here, Barnes!”

“So I’m a bad boy who’s deeply in love with his fiancee.Sue me.”Bucky met Steve’s eyes and grinned.Steve realized belatedly that this was exactly the image Bucky had been going for.Bucky had always known how to make his appearance work to his advantage.His choice to wear a Captain America outfit and leave his hair looking rough and sexy suddenly made a lot more sense.Steve was an oblivious idiot.

“You proposed?!?” Kate shrieked, bouncing up and down in her chair.

Tony looked put-out.“But I hadn’t even finished your rings yet!” he complained.

Steve was still grinning at Bucky, deeply impressed and deeply in love, and didn’t quite catch what Tony said at first.“Well, we were just so… excited after the press conference, I couldn’t help myself.We’ll need ‘em for the wedding, anyway— Wait, _rings_?”

“Do you _know_ how hard it was for me to keep my mouth shut when the Soviet Sweetheart came in and asked me to make you a ring less than an hour after you’d asked the same thing?” Tony ranted.He was waving his fork in the air, a bite of steak firmly wedged on the tines.

Steve and Bucky stared at each other, wide-eyed with shock.“You asked—“

“— you wanted Tony to—“

“—Yeah, since he’s our friend, and—“

“— I wanted something custom, something for you, and—“

“— _That’s_ why Pepper wanted to see you, it _was_ about the legal paperwork—“

“—And it’s all squared away now, I haven’t had time to show you yet but I have an ID and everything—“Bucky stopped speaking and started laughing.Steve joined in.Their deep, throaty laughs rang across the room.Steve doubled over and tried to lean on Bucky for balance, but Bucky was doing the same thing.The result was that they tumbled to the floor, laughing even harder, tangled up in each other.

A loud pop came from behind the bar, causing everyone to start.“Champagne?” Clint asked, holding a newly opened bottle.“We should celebrate, right?It’s our first team engagement!”

“_And_ you owe the rest of us, since Steve and Bucky didn’t secretly get married while Nazi hunting,” Tony reminded Clint.Clint swore.

The dinner became a party after that.Bruce disappeared for a while and came back with some Hulkbuster edibles so that the happy couple wouldn’t be the only sober ones in the room, having noticed that Bucky was surreptitiously refilling Peter’s champagne glass at Peter’s signal.Maria showed up halfway through, causing Kate to once again shriek with joy— Tony had sent a private jet for her after informing Kate that he planned on hiring her as soon as the paperwork could be completed.Even Pepper apologized for her earlier anger, informing them that “Really, love is more important than anything else anyway,” with a meaningful glance towards Tony, who blushed and gulped down the rest of his glass of champagne.

After a bit Steve and Bucky decided to go up to the rooftop to get some air.They sat in Steve’s favorite spot on the roof of the stairwell, legs swinging over the edge, arm in arm, gazing happily at the lights of the city below.

“Pepper and Tony are gonna be next,” Bucky told Steve.“Didja see the way she looked at him?She wants a ring,” he asserted confidently.Steve knew that Bucky would recognize that look.It had been the catalyst for many a break up when they were in their 20s.Bucky had always told Steve it was because he couldn’t marry a girl who didn’t see Steve as an equal.Steve thought he had a pretty good idea of the real reason now.

“Unless it’s Kate and Maria,” Steve pointed out.They were a bit young, but they were desperately in love.

Bucky hummed in agreement.They fell into silence again, looking out at the lights of Brooklyn in the distance.“Y’know,” he said, “If you’da told me growin’ up that one day I’d be engaged to my best fella, I’d’ve said I wanted some of whatever it was you were smokin’.”

Steve laughed.He couldn’t remember the last time either of them had laughed this much. It was nice.“Y’know, Buck,” Steve said thoughtfully, “if you’d’a said somethin’ growin’ up, I might’a said yes.”

“Really?” Bucky asked, surprised.“You wouldn’t’a thought it gross, or weird, or—“

“Well, I might’ve as a kid, bein’ a good Catholic an’ all,” Steve conceded.“But by the time we were livin’ together, an’ I was hangin’ out with all those artists…”

“I dunno that your heart woulda stood it,” Bucky pointed out.

Steve elbowed him.“I’d’a made a great bottom an’ you know it,” he said, a teasing look in his eye.

“Yeah, ya would’ve,” Bucky said, a bit misty eyed at the thought.“Why d’ya think I called ya punk all those years, Stevie?”He asked.

“I thought that was ‘cause I was so young lookin’,” Steve said in surprise.

Bucky chuckled.“Wasn’t just that, not once I knew what else it meant,” he told Steve.

Steve chuckled himself and shook his head.“Good thing I call ya jerk, ya jerkoff,” he responded.He put his arm around Bucky and rested his head on Bucky’s shoulder.Bucky pulled him in closer.“Thinka all the years we coulda had,” Steve said softly.

“Thinka all the years we have ahead of us,” Bucky gently corrected.

Steve smiled.“I love you, Bucky.”

“I love you too, Steve.”


	8. Everybody Talks Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate and Maria offer their services as wedding planners to Steve and Bucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for switching POV mid-chapter, but I honestly am not sure how to fix it... I like having those first few paragraphs from Bucky's POV because it makes me laugh, even though the rest of the chapter works better from Steve's voice. Feedback is always welcome.
> 
> Song title from "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees.

Bucky stumbled into the kitchen the next morning buck-naked and half-awake.Lazy morning sex never did much in the way of making him lucid.He proceeded directly to the coffeemaker and began to grumble about Steve leaving the previous day’s grounds in before realizing that he actually smelled coffee.He looked down and realized that the carafe was missing.“What the hell…?” he started, turning around wild-eyed.

“Do you always sleep naked?” Kate asked curiously from her perch on the couch arm.She was holding the full carafe of coffee.Maria was sitting on the cushion next to Kate, determinedly staring down and blushing.

“STEVE,” Bucky roared.Steve emerged from the bedroom and skidded into the kitchen with a panicked look on his face.Steve was also naked; his balls swayed from the movement in a way that would have been comical had the situation not been so annoying.Bucky pointed at Kate and Maria.“They’re _your_ friends._You_ deal with this,” he growled.

Steve surveyed the scene with exasperation.“Kate, give Bucky some coffee.Bucky, put on some clothes.Maria, you should know better than to let Kate sneak into people’s apartments.”Steve could muster an incredible amount of authority when he wanted to.It was even more impressive that he could do so with his balls sagging from exhaustion, his penis still half-hard from his orgasm, drops of his own cum drying to the hair on his stomach as Bucky’s cum dried on his thighs where it had dripped from his ass.“I am going to take a shower, and by the time I get out you’d all better be getting along or so help me…”He turned on his heel and stalked back into the bedroom.

Bucky glared at Kate.“You’re making a fresh pot,” he informed her.He hoped he could look as terrifying naked as Steve could commanding.He stalked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him for good measure.

Once Steve was dressed and out of the shower and Bucky was dressed and glaring at Kate over a cup of coffee, Kate and Maria began to set up a work station on the kitchen table.“What’s this?” Bucky asked suspiciously.

“We’re volunteering our services as wedding planners,” Maria said as Kate opened her laptop.Maria was already making notes on a legal-sized pad of paper.

Steve and Bucky exchanged a glance.“How hard can it be to organize a wedding?” Steve asked skeptically.He hadn’t been to a wedding since he’d outgrown being an altar boy.He realized he had no clue what having a wedding really entailed from a planning perspective.

Now it was Kate and Maria’s turn to exchange glances.“What sort of theme are you thinking?” Maria asked.“Traditional?Vintage?Romantic? Avengers?”

“Um—“ Steve said awkwardly.He’d never heard of a wedding having a theme before.What sort of theme did tuxes and roses and cake fall under?

“Have you considered your colors?” Kate asked.

“Well—“ Steve tried to say, but fell silent again.This was a very good point.

Maria and Kate started to bombard Steve and Bucky with more questions, each one somehow more stressful than the last.“Are you changing your names?Hyphenating?”

“Formal or casual?”

“Dinner?Who are you thinking for catering?”

“Have you picked a venue yet?”

“Where are you getting your cake from?”

“Which tradition will you take the ceremony from?Irish-Catholic?Jewish?Both?Neither?”

“Ok, ok, we get your point!” Bucky growled.Steve was just staring, open mouthed.He knew weddings were a lot bigger and fancier than they used to be, but hearing these details was not the same as seeing pictures of weddings on Instagram.

Kate nodded with satisfaction.“Good.Now that you’ve come to your senses, let’s go back a bit.Now, the first thing to consider is what time of year you want to get married.Keep in mind, the whole planning process tends to take a minimum of six months, according to all the websites.”

“Six months?” Bucky gasped.“What the hell?”

Maria nodded.“A lot of venues book up at least a year in advance, especially around here.Rentals, photographers, caterers— a lot of businesses book up early.”

“How do you know this?” Steve asked curiously.

“It’s a lot like Quincinera planning,” Maria said with a shrug.“Only harder.”

“Right,” said Bucky faintly.He looked at Steve, his eyes wide.“We could just go to the courthouse,” he suggested.

“You know we’d both want more than that,” Steve said to Bucky softly.Steve knew Bucky wanted a wedding for the same reasons Bucky enjoyed buying Steve flowers and chocolate and taking him on dates.Bucky was an old school romantic.Steve wanted a wedding because he knew it would make Bucky happy.Besides, the thought of being able to declare in front of the whole world that Bucky was his and he was Bucky’s was intoxicating.

Maria looked from Steve to Bucky and then over at Kate.“Why don’t we give you some time to think about it,” she said.“Come up with a time of year and what sort of venue you’d like and we can go from there?”

“Good idea,” Steve said, feeling relieved.“We’ll see you two for dinner?”

“Sounds good,” Kate answered as she shut her laptop and put it in her bag.She looked a little disappointed.Everyone exchanged hugs and Kate and Maria left.

Bucky let out a deep sigh.“I didn’t think about it bein’ this complicated to have a nice wedding,” he admitted.“All I really thought about was how nice you’d look, standin’ up in your tux with some flowers behind ya.”

“What kind of flowers?What colors?What florist are we getting them from?” Steve quipped with a sly smile.

Bucky glared.“Shaddup, punk,” he growled, but then his face softened a bit.“Red ’n white are kinda our colors though, ain’t they, doll.”

“Like our first date,” Steve said with a soft smile.He could feel his adoration radiating off of himself.

“Time of year…” Bucky mused.“Well, two city boys like us, we sure as hell ain’t doin’ an outdoor wedding.I don’t see the season matterin’ much in that case.”

Steve nodded.“Good thinkin’.We can just see what venue we can get when then.”He pulled out his phone and started taking notes.“Say, Buck,” he added, “what if we found a place in Brooklyn?I mean, worst case scenario Tony’d probably let us use the tower, but…”

Bucky grinned.“Brooklyn’d be swell, punk.”He took a sip of his coffee.“Jesus, Steve, I can’t believe we’re really doin’ this.”

Steve smirked and leaned across the table towards Bucky.“Am I goin’ too fast for ya, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice deep and sensual.

“Well now,” Bucky replied, pitching his voice up slightly and fluttering his eyelashes, “good girl like me, gettin’ with a guy after only six months ‘a goin’ steady, folks’d talk.”

Steve laughed.“And just how many dames said that to ya, Buck?”

Bucky swatted at Steve.“You know I never went steady that long with anyone, punk, and the girls I got with didn’t much mind what folks said about ‘em.‘N really, Stevie,” Bucky continued with a sly grin, “I just wanna marry you as soon as we can an’ still do it nice.I been waitin’ 85 years for this.I don’t much care if anyone thinks we’re gettin’ married fast just so you can make an honest man outta me.”

“Talk about a bad boy,” Steve grinned back.

“You know it,” Bucky replied with a smirk and a wink.“Well, at any rate, we can tell Kate and Maria our answers when we watch the game today.Still can’t believe the Dodgers ain’t in Brooklyn anymore…”Bucky shook his head and Steve laughed.He gave Bucky a quick hug and proceeded to clear their breakfast dishes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommended reading between this chapter and chapter 9: Sections 5 & 6 from "Bucky, You Can Drive My Car." (But obviously not required, and chapter 9 will still make sense.)


	9. Burn Your Biographies, Rewrite Your History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief glimpse into Pepper's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Reference to past eating disorders; Reference to past drug use.
> 
> I realized that my Pepper was a bit flat, so I decided to write a chapter from her perspective showing why she's so angry and keyed up all the time. It was really satisfying for me to finally understand her and her motivations.
> 
> Chapter title from "High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco.

Pepper took one look at her inbox on Monday morning an inwardly groaned.She picked up her phone and dialed Natasha, who answered on the third ring.“Can you wipe my schedule this morning and make it look like an accident?” Pepper asked without preamble.

“On it,” Natasha replied and hung up.

Pepper rubbed her temples and began to breathe carefully.The past three days had been an absolute PR nightmare.Friday night Bucky had gone public with his identity, admitted to having mental illnesses due to trauma, and then made out with Captain America live on national TV.On Saturday Steve’s 56th speeding ticket for the year arrived in the mail.Saturday night also saw Bucky and Clint slip up on an emergency sniper mission, landing a civilian in the hospital with Bucky taking full responsibility.The cherry on the shit sundae happened, appropriately, on Sunday, when Bucky and Steve had been caught having sex in Steve’s car before proceeding to rack up several other minor offenses.The good news was, since it was the weekend, the usual talking heads weren’t able to overanalyze and rip them to shreds.The bad news was, it was the weekend, so there was nothing to draw attention away from Steve and Bucky’s antics.

Pepper skimmed through her emails, sending short replies to missives that didn’t need much attention.Stark Industries business she flagged for later.She began to sort through the flood of news reports and media requests.Live interview requests were immediately, and very politely, declined.Pepper made a list of all media outlets requesting written or taped interviews and proceeded to color code them based on behavioral threat level.It was a tactic she had developed for Tony.Mediums that were highly structured were highlighted green; mediums that invited gaffs were highlighted red.Orange and yellow highlights denoted the middle ground.

The next step was to assign interviews.Bucky and Sam would do an exclusive with the New York Times to discuss trauma and the stigma around mental health issues.Steve would do an exclusive with Vogue, talking about his struggles with fame, his childhood, and what it was like to have Bucky back.Natasha would be assigned to ensure Steve didn’t do or say anything compromising.Steve and Sam would attend a ribbon cutting for a new police building upstate.Bucky and Natasha would attend an NYPD fundraiser.Everyone else would get a polite dismissal or a short written statement, depending on Pepper’s regard for the source.For good measure, she sent an email to the organizers of the New York Pride Parade informing them that the Avengers would have their own float this year.This would be the safest way to ensure that Steve and Bucky didn’t show up naked, high, and horny.Or at least, if they did, they would be easier to supervise.

Pepper’s phone alarm went off.Pepper started.It was her daily reminder to eat lunch.She stretched and sighed.She’d missed her morning coffee break and she still had several hours of media clean-up ahead of her.Pepper sent a quick text to Natasha asking her to wipe her calendar for the rest of the day, grabbed her salad out of her mini fridge, and snuck out the secret back door of her office.

She went up to the rooftop and headed towards the greenhouse.It was one of the few places where she felt like she could be truly alone.Sitting with the plants always had a calming effect on Pepper.On rainy days she would sit inside the greenhouse and eat lunch.On sunny days like this one she would sit in a lawn chair between the flower boxes.The spring flowers were in bloom.Pepper smiled and inhaled deeply, then frowned as she caught a hint of tobacco smoke along with the sweet floral scent.

Pepper set her salad down on the lawn chair and followed the scent to the corner of the greenhouse.She found Bucky there, perched on the ledge, smoking while looking moodily over the city.“James,” Pepper said softly, so as not to startle him.

Bucky pulled himself out of his reverie and stretched, shifting his weight backwards in order to keep his balance.He looked over and said, “Hey, Pepper,” looking a little guilty.

“Mind if I join you?” Pepper asked.It seemed rude not to.

Bucky shrugged.“If you want,” he replied.

Pepper darted back to the chair and grabbed her salad.She made her way back to the corner of the greenhouse.Bucky had pulled two chairs over and was sitting in one now, still smoking.“I didn’t know you smoked,” Pepper said conversationally as she sat down and began to eat her salad.

Bucky stared down at the cigarette between his fingers.“Didn’t know it was a big secret or anythin’,” he said.“Started when I was 13— young an’ dumb, stealin’ my pop’s cigarettes.Thought it made me tough and cool.Now I just do it when I’m mad or need a moment to breathe.”They sat in silence for a while, Pepper working on her salad, Bucky finishing his cigarette.He dropped the butt in a can and sighed.“Pepper, I’m sorry to make so much work for you.Steve and I just— we wanna be able to live our lives, ya know?An’ we were always sassy little shits, showin’ off an’ messin’ with people.It’s kinda hard to censor that or whatever when I never had to before, especially when I don’t have to hide the stuff I used ta have to.”

Pepper slowly chewed her cherry tomato and swallowed.She considered for a moment.She didn’t usually confide in people, but there was something about Bucky that invited trust.On top of that, he had been forced by circumstances to be more open with the Avengers team than anyone had a right to expect of him.The least she could do was return the favor.“Pepper’s a nickname, you know,” she told Bucky.“I’ve always had red hair and a temper— it just fit.”She set her fork down and stared at the city skyline thoughtfully.

“When I was a girl— well, girls aren’t supposed to show anger, are they?” Pepper continued.“So I hated myself.I couldn’t control the way I felt, or how others reacted to me, but I could control my behavior.I started smoking instead of eating.I made it through undergrad on a diet of cigarettes, vodka, and diet pills.To get through my MBA I added cocaine into the mix.I walked off the stage after getting my diploma and promptly had a heart attack.”

“No shit?” Bucky asked, shocked.

Pepper nodded.“I made it through, obviously,” she continued.“My parents were so angry they wouldn’t even speak to me.The day I got out of the hospital they drove me to a rehab facility and left me there.I don’t think I would have had the motivation to get better if I hadn’t happened to be assigned to the same therapy group as a certain genius asshole coke addict who heard my story and decided he needed a PA, conditional on us both getting clean and me gaining some weight.”

“Tony,” Bucky said.“That’s why you two work so well together.He needs a micromanager and you need someone who pushes your comfort zone.”

Pepper just nodded again.“We help each other stay off the hard stuff and remember to eat, too.”At this, she remembered her salad and began to work on it again.Bucky sat quietly and looked out over the city.

“You haven’t shared this with many people, have you,” Bucky said softly as Pepper finished her last bite of salad.

“Natasha knows,” Pepper told him.“And Rhodey, although he’s always in D.C. so he’s not much help at backup when one of us starts slipping.It’s good to have someone who’s not around all the time, though— he notices changes in us more easily, just because he doesn’t see us every day.”

“Thank you for trusting me,” Bucky said.His eyes were soft and sad.Pepper had never seen him quite _this_ open before.

“We all have issues, James,” Pepper said gently.“In a way, that’s one of the beautiful things about this team.We all have grace with each other and help each other out because, in one way or another, we’ve all been there.”

“I don’t suppose this extends to letting Steve an’ me off the hook for this weekend?” Bucky asked hopefully.

Pepper glared.“Grace does _not_ mean letting people off the hook,” she informed Bucky.“I will be drawing up your press apology schedule this afternoon.”Bucky groaned and closed his eyes in response. 

Pepper rose from her chair and was about to leave when she had an idea.After all, Bucky didn’t have many friends yet, and Pepper was often too immersed in her work to pay attention to her private relationships with people besides Tony.“I always eat lunch up here at noon,” Pepper told Bucky.“You’d always be welcome to join me, as long as you keep your cigarette downwind.”

Bucky opened his eyes wide and smiled at Pepper.“It’d be an honor,” he told her.

As the weeks went on it became their little ritual.Bucky never smoked around Pepper; instead, he brought his own lunch, and often a few bites of his latest kitchen “experiment” for her to try.Once Pepper discovered Bucky’s talent for logic and strategy she began to talk through particularly vexing Stark Industries and Avengers issues with him.As their friendship grew Bucky taught Pepper how to shoot guns and bake cookies; Pepper taught Bucky how to manage his and Steve’s finances and braid hair.They were, as a terrified Tony told Pepper after walking in on them braiding each other’s hair and arguing about economic policy, quite the formidable pair.


	10. Swimming Through the Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Supreme Court has legalized gay marriage nationwide, and Steve is accidentally triggered by something Clint says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Reference to past self-destructive and self-harm behaviors.
> 
> Here is your periodic reminder that smoking causes cancer in people who do not have super soldier serum.
> 
> Chapter title is from "Sweet Disaster" by Dreamers.

By the time the New York City Pride Parade came around that year Steve and Bucky were no longer under close supervision, having successfully completed their press tour and a couple trial outings.In fact, they had actually become media darlings thanks to their good looks and living legend status.It put Steve and Bucky (and the PR person assigned to them) in an incredibly weird position.Conservative Baby Boomers and Gen Xers had no problem raking Steve and Bucky over the coals for their relationship, their perceived (and, in Steve’s case, real) atheistic tendencies, and their left-of-liberal policy ideals (Nat had once stopped Steve just short of coming out in an interview as a communist sympathizer.)The vitriol aimed at Bucky and Steve by angry middle-aged conservatives resulted in an unexpected defensive coalition between the Silent and Greatest Generations and the Millennials and Gen Z. 

One Twitter thread in particular became a viral sensation for capturing this spirit perfectly.A woman in her 20’s had come out as a lesbian on Twitter and was promptly reamed out by her father.Said father tagged his own father asking him to back him up.The grandfather’s response was that if being gay was good enough for the two guys who had saved his ass on the front lines in Europe, it was good enough for his granddaughter.Bucky had been a bit reticent towards going to Pride, but after reading the Tweet he had informed Steve that he would be going come hell or high water.

When Bucky decided to do something he always went all in, which is how he ended up volunteering his mechanical skills to Tony when he found out that Tony was in charge of float design.He and Steve were helping to put the finishing touches on it the Friday before the NYC Pride Parade when the news broke.Kate ran into the garage shrieking her head off, Maria and Clint hot on her heels.“It’s legal!” she screeched, “It’s legal!”

Steve, who was busy painting the Avengers’ logos onto the sides of the float, was oblivious to the intrusion.Tony, however, flipped up his welding mask and sat back on his knees.Bucky scootered out from underneath the float, where he had been tightening lug nuts, and stared at Kate wide-eyed.“What’s legal?” Bucky and Tony asked, almost in unison.

Kate just screeched and jumped up and down, grabbing onto Maria and steering them in circles.Maria started laughing and joined in.“Gay marriage,” Clint explained.“The Supreme Court voted in favor.”

“No shit,” Tony said, a slow grin forming on his face.

Bucky jumped up and grabbed Steve by the shoulders, shaking him.“Steve!Steve, didja hear that?Our marriage is gonna be legal in all 50 states!”

Steve leaned back onto his heels and whined, “Bucky, look what you made me do!Nat’s hourglass is all smeared now and it’s gonna be a pain in the ass to fix.”

“_Steve_,” Bucky said, gently taking Steve’s face in his hands and turning his head to face Bucky.“Gay marriage is _legal_ now._In all 50 states_.”

Steve’s mouth fell open.“Holy shit Buck why didn’cha tell me?” he exclaimed, grabbing Bucky tightly and pulling him in for a hug.

“I was tryin’ to!” Bucky said with frustration, giving Steve a playful jab.

Clint grinned.“The Barnes’ will be legit wherever our job takes us,” he said.Then, correcting himself, he added, “At least in the US.”

Tony frowned.“Come on, Clint, they’ll be the Rogers’.Obviously.”

“Does Steve look like a top to you?The Barnes’,” Clint said, hands on his hips.

“Doesn’t matter who’s on top,” Tony informed Clint.“Besides, Steve proposed, it’s gonna be the Rogers’.”

“Actually,” Steve piped up, “We’d talked about hyphenating.”

“Or just having two last names,” Bucky added.Steve nodded.“That way, the name everyone knows us by is still accurate, but legally we can be Barnes-Rogers.Or Rogers-Barnes.”

“Or both,” Steve finished.“Steve Rogers-Barnes and Bucky Barnes-Rogers.”

Maria nodded.“That’s good,” she said.“A lot of Hispanic cultures do something similar, you know.We keep our father’s last name and add our husband’s.”

“Plus, it highlights that you’re still, like, your own person, even though you’re united,” Kate mused.“I like that, Maria.We should do that.”Maria smiled at Kate.Bucky decided he was going to put his money on Kate and Maria being the next wedding.

“Right,” Clint said.“So, I just came along because I plan on going out and getting wasted at all the nearby gay bars in celebration and wondered if y’all’d join me.Oooh, or maybe I’ll stay sober and see if I run into that guy who only fucks designated drivers.I never did manage to run into him and I hear he’s good.”

Steve went oddly pale and his jaw clenched.“He… doesn’t do that anymore,” Steve said in a tight voice.Bucky looked at Steve with concern.Steve seemed to be fighting an internal battle.Tony, Kate, and Maria looked awkwardly from Clint to Steve and back again. 

There was a moment of awkward silence before Clint spoke.“So that’s why he disappeared back in October,” he said.

“Yes,” Steve said curtly, working his jaw.He looked furious.Bucky was almost certain the anger was directed inward.

“Ok, but now I want to see you in drag though,” Clint said, trying to inject some humor back into the situation.

“_Cap_ in drag?” Tony asked, hardly able to believe his ears.

“No one could agree on what the guy looked like,” Clint clarified.“Partly ‘cause he was in drag some of the time.”

Bucky playfully elbowed Steve, trying to help both him and Clint out.“Betcha make a pretty dame, huh Stevie,” he quipped.

It was the wrong thing to say.Steve looked just as angry and even more tense.“I need to— I’ll be back,” he said.He rose up from his kneeling position and strode brusquely out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“Well,” Tony said, speechless for once.Kate and Maria were still frozen in a combination of horror and curiosity.

Bucky rose and gestured helplessly.“I’d better—“ he muttered, not finishing his sentence as he left after Steve.

Bucky found Steve on the rooftop near the greenhouse.He was picking up flowerpots and swearing.Bucky quietly went over to where he kept his stash box and silently handed Steve a cigarette and a lighter.Smoking was one of the emergency activities Steve had chosen to replace self-harm.Steve’s hands were trembling too much to actually produce a flame.Bucky gently took the lighter from Steve and gave it a flick, holding the flame out for him.Steve inhaled and exhaled deeply and then sat on the ledge, head in his hands.

“We aint mad and we don’t hate ya,” Bucky informed Steve quietly.

Steve took another drag of his cigarette.“I just wanted ta put it behind me is all,” he said, exhaling hard.

Bucky nodded.“Ya know, Steve, if you’re gonna go off the rails and fuck all the guys in New York, at least you gave out to the guys who were doin’ somethin’ good.”It was hard for Bucky to say this— jealousy was rearing its ugly head again— but he knew that giving in to it would not help either of them.

“Christ, Bucky,” Steve said, looking up now.Bucky noticed that his hands were a little steadier now.He was still pale and tense, though.“The first one— my fuck buddy— turned out he was one of your Russians, didja know?Nat knew him.She shot him in D.C.He let himself get distracted by her instead of followin’ your orders to go after me.”

“Christ,” Bucky echoed hollowly.He lit a cigarette for himself and began to smoke.

They puffed away silently for a few minutes.Eventually, Steve finished his cigarette and roused himself.“Well, at least we’re both prepared now,” he said ruefully.

“That’s the spirit,” Bucky said.His voice still sounded a little hollow to his ears.

Steve gave a sudden barking laugh.“What is our life, Bucky?You fall off a bridge, I think you’re dead so I crash a plane with myself in it.I wake up in the 21st century and start fuckin’ a bunch of people, among other self-destructive behaviors, all ‘cause I don’t know how ta live without ya, and then it turns out the one guy I fuck on the regular was a Hydra operative workin’ under you, an’ ya both have orders to kill me.So Nat kills him and you break your programming, and now we’re sittin’ on Tony Stark’s rooftop smokin’ like chimneys ‘cause Clint accidentally stumbled on my secret side life.”

Bucky blinked as he processed all this.“Your life should be a goddamn movie, Rogers.Or one of those comic books we loved so much as kids.You really couldn’t make this shit up, could you.”He began to laugh himself.

“I’m gonna go for a run, Buck.Meet you at the apartment after?” Steve asked as he rose off the ledge of the building.

“Sounds good.See ya soon, Stevie.”Bucky nodded at Steve.As soon as he heard the rooftop door close behind Steve he pulled out his phone.Creating a group text with all of their friends (minus Steve,) Bucky began to type:

_The next person to mention to Steve anything regarding fuck buddies, rewarding dds for their services, or drag without him bringing it up first will find themselves strung up by their toes.From there I will slowly cut them open.Repeatedly.With hot knives.Once they are staring at their own entrails and begging for the sweet release of death I will proceed to douse them in kerosene and light them on fire._

_ By the way, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide today!Great news, isn’t it?Drinks are on Clint!_

Bucky carefully selected a smiley face emoji, a heart emoji, and a rainbow emoji.He re-read his message and, satisfied, nodded as he hit send.


	11. Love is Not a Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pride chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Club drugs reference/mild violence
> 
> Sexual love. Romantic love. Friend love. Familial love. <3
> 
> Chapter title from "Girls/Girls/Boys" by Panic! at the Disco.

Bucky woke up to the gentle thrum of his alarm on Sunday morning and stretched.Steve grumbled at the sound and snuggled up closer to Bucky, pressing up against him with his back.Bucky wrapped his arm around Steve, happily taking on his customary role of big spoon.“Happy Pride, sugar,” Bucky whispered.Steve just hummed and pushed back into Bucky more tightly.Bucky’s cock twitched in response.“Stevie,” Bucky whispered, a little more urgently now, “If you wake up now we have time to get a quick one in before everyone gets here.”

Steve lazily opened one eye and looked back at Bucky.“Oral ok with you?” he asked.

Bucky nodded.“Perfect,” he replied.

The slid off their underwear and lay on their sides facing each other, Steve’s head down at Bucky’s groin and Bucky’s head at Steve’s.Steve took Bucky in lazily, giving little flicks with his tongue and only subtly moving up and down Bucky’s shaft.Bucky was feeling a little more energetic— probably nerves, he thought— and put a corresponding amount of energy into his ministrations to Steve’s dick.Steve came first, quiet and slow, but Bucky didn’t take long to follow. 

Smiling softly at each other, they tumbled out of bed and proceeded to the bathroom, where Steve took a shower and Bucky took a bath.Occasionally one would look over at the other and smile more broadly.Bucky knew Steve loved the way Bucky’s hair looked when he dunked under to rinse the shampoo and conditioner out— the way his dark strands fanned out and floated on the water, shining in the bright glow of the heat lamp.Bucky loved to watch the way Steve stretched as he rinsed his own hair out, unconsciously making a slight backbend as he scrubbed at his hairline.He also loved the lines of Steve’s body as he stretched up to wash his armpits.The contortions involved in washing his legs and feet weren’t bad either.They created little rolls in Steve’s stomach— rolls which had never been there before Steve had been given the serum; rolls that told Bucky that Steve was at a healthy weight.

Once they were both finished washing and rinsing they dried each other off.Steve rubbed a towel roughly through his hair while Bucky carefully wrapped his in a jersey towel.Steve leaned into the mirror and looked at himself, carefully trimming his beard with a thin pair of scissors.“Do you think I should get a haircut?” he asked Bucky, a little too casually.

Bucky’s eyes widened in surprise at the question.Steve hadn’t really done much with his hair since Bucky came back.He’d kept it neatly buzzed while they were hunting Hydra, but once they moved into the tower he hadn’t taken time to cut it.It was shapeless and fell almost to Steve’s shoulders.Bucky looked at it, assessing.

“I don’t think you _need_ to do anything,” Bucky said carefully.“But, if you want me to shape it, I could do that for you.”Steve looked at Bucky through the mirror with surprise.Bucky shrugged.“Sometimes we needed to change up our hair for missions.”

Steve thought for a minute and then shrugged.“Sure.Let’s do it in the kitchen where the light’s better.The coffee can brew while you cut.”

Bucky had just finished and was taking a blow dryer to Steve’s hair when Nat, Pepper, and Kate arrived.They were carting tote bags filled with mirrors and hair and cosmetic supplies.“Looks good,” Pepper said, nodding at Steve with approval as she set her bags down.

“Look at you, giving off daddy vibes,” Kate said appraisingly.

Steve looked up at Bucky.“Yeah, Baby?You like me lookin’ like a daddy?” he asked suggestively.

Bucky gave him a playful swat with the towel that had been in his hair.“Just as much as you like me lookin’ like one, Sugar,” Bucky replied in a gravelly voice.

“Steve,” Pepper interrupted pointedly, “do you want to go grab your and Bucky’s things so we can start getting ready?”

“Oh, yeah, on it,” Steve said as he tore his attention away from Bucky.Bucky ruffled the towel through his hair and then began to use the blow dryer on it.Steve headed back into the bedroom.

Steve returned with his arms full of their hair products and a large black bag.He dumped everything on the kitchen counter, causing bottles to roll and knock into each other.He opened the black bag and Bucky watched, wide-eyed and open mouthed, as Steve proceeded to pull out more makeup products than Bucky had previously known even existed.

Bucky picked up a tube at random and read the label.“Primer?What the hell you need primer for?You ain’t a wall, Stevie,” he asked, exasperated.

“It smoothes your pores and gives your foundation something to grip to,” Pepper said idly as she began to organize the array of products that were being pulled out of bags.She glanced over at Bucky and must have recognized the confused look on his face.“You don’t have to put on anything you don’t want to,” Pepper reassured him.“I can just braid your hair and you’d look fantastic.”Bucky nodded curtly.He was nervous enough about parading around town with a bunch of gay people, given that for the majority of his life (that he was himself for, at any rate,) that had been illegal.Wearing makeup in public as a man in the 30’s and 40’s would have practically been an invitation to get arrested.

He sat to the side and watched as the others stationed themselves in front of mirrors and began to apply various creams, liquids, and powders to their faces as they chatted.Bucky could see why Steve liked makeup.Although Steve, Natasha, Kate, and Pepper were all using the same basic products, they each had their own technique that resulted in a unique look.Steve applied everything with brushes.He stroked, mixed, and blended with the same intensity as painting on one of his canvasses.Nat, meanwhile, applied everything with her fingers, deftly sweeping her pinkie into creases and blurring lines of color with her index finger.It took the two of them the same amount of time, even though Steve’s look was natural with a pop of color and Nat’s was more obviously makeup with a bold smokey eye.

Steve came over to where Bucky was sitting.“What d’you think?” he asked, sounding a little apprehensive.

“You look beautiful, Stevie,” Bucky told him fervently.

Steve relaxed a little bit.Quietly, so the others couldn’t hear, he told Bucky “I haven’t worn much makeup since… well…”

Bucky nodded and swallowed.“Well, it- it suits you, if you like it.It’s like your paintin’, but on your face.You should do it more often.If you like it,” Bucky added hastily.Steve broke into a grin.“Hey, Steve, would you do me?” Bucky asked, causing Steve’s grin to widen even more.

Bucky appraised himself in the full-length mirror before he and Steve left.Pepper had braided back a section of his hair on the side, giving the appearance of an asymmetrical haircut.The rest of his hair was swept back into his usual messy bun.Everything was held in place with a hairspray that also contained silver glitter.Steve had done a variation of Natasha’s smokey eye on Bucky, giving him a look that was both reminiscent of the Winter Soldier’s eye black and distinctly its own thing.Bucky was wearing the group t-shirt Tony had designed— black, with the Avengers A emblazoned on the chest in rainbow— but he’d ripped the sleeves off.He’d paired it with a black pair of skinny jeans and black canvas shoes.

Steve looked up as Bucky walked back into the kitchen.“You look like you stepped off the cover of a pop punk album,” he commented, giving Bucky a once-over with his eyes that clearly indicated that this was a good thing.

“What can I say?” Bucky said, spreading his arms to give Steve a better view.“The aesthetic was clearly created for people who look exactly like me.”He surveyed Steve.Steve had also ripped the sleeves off of his group tee.He was wearing pink booty shorts and purple tennis shoes to go with his blue eyeshadow.“You look like a dancer from a pop music video,” Bucky told him, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“And you love it,” Steve informed Bucky with a conspiratorial wink.“Now come on, we’re gonna be late.”

The Avengers float was going fairly early in the parade lineup.Stark Industries employees who had wanted to join would be walking along behind them.Peter, Kate, Maria, and Pepper were walking with the SI group.As Steve and Bucky were taking their places on the float Kate ran up to them, a little breathless.“I almost forgot,” she said, holding out two black-and-neon packages.“I don’t know if you want these, but I thought it could be funny—“Kate shoved the packages into Bucky’s hands and then ran off.Bucky looked at them, puzzled.

“Ring Pops?” he read aloud questioningly.“What the hell?”

“Oh, I’ve heard of these!” Steve said with a trace of excitement.“They’re giant rings made of candy!You can wear them while you eat them.”He took one of the packages from Bucky and opened it, pulling out the giant red ring and putting it on his right ring finger.“See?” Steve said as he popped the oversized diamond-shaped candy in his mouth.

“Because we're engaged,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes.Steve stopped in the middle of sucking his Ring Pop.“Well, come on, Steve, let’s do it right then.”Bucky opened his own Ring Pop, which happened to be blue, and put it on the ring finger of his left hand.“And don’t eat it all at once, doll, we should make it last the whole parade.”Bucky smirked with satisfaction as he noticed Steve’s shorts tent slightly.

“How is being engaged such a turn-on,” Steve grumbled at a volume he knew only Bucky would hear as he switched the ring to his left hand.

“Because you love finally being able to admit to yourself that you belong to me,” Bucky murmured back, giving Steve a gentle swat on the butt.Steve jumped, shaking the whole float and eliciting glares from everyone else who was already on it.Steve gave them his best apologetic puppy face as Bucky rolled his eyes.

Pepper had informed the team before the parade that they were to simply stand and wave.Not being on the float herself, however, meant that there was no way to enforce this.Tony had obtained a large number of condoms from somewhere and hidden them on the float without Pepper’s knowledge.He and Clint were now throwing them out at the crowd.Natasha was making a show of playing with her knives.Sam was dancing at the back of the float and occasionally succeeded in getting Bruce to join in.Steve and Bucky were at the front and taking full advantage of the opportunity to be dramatic little shits, reenacting famous romantic movie scenes (Bucky’s favorite was making Steve lift him a la Dirty Dancing) and periodically flashing their Ring Pops.

Tony had insisted on holding an after-party on the tower rooftop, so once they reached the end of the parade everyone headed that direction.However, what had started as a family-friendly bar-be-que became a wild party as the evening wore on.Not only was a great quantity of alcohol consumed, but it became clear that a latecomer to the party had snuck in and was distributing club drugs. 

Sam noticed a shift in behavior that couldn’t be explained by alcohol alone and alerted Steve and Bucky.Bucky gave Sam a calculating look in return.“Steve,” Bucky said a little too casually, “I think it would be a good idea for you to help Tony avoid temptation.Why don’t you take him and Pepper downstairs?”Steve gave Bucky a look but complied.“Are you ok to suit up?” Bucky asked Sam.

Sam shook his head.“Not gonna risk it, too much alcohol,” he told Bucky.

Bucky nodded.“Why don’t you work with JARVIS and Bruce to get medical set up in case someone gets sick.I’ll take care of the asshole.”Sam nodded back and set off to find Bruce.

Bucky made his way through the crowd.He noticed someone pop a tablet and leaned over to ask, “Where’d you get that?”The person pointed at a retreating figure across the dance floor.Bucky flashed a thumbs up and a wink in reply and went after them.When he caught up it was to discover the man being confronted by Peter Parker and his friends, Ned and MJ.“This guy givin’ you kids some trouble?” Bucky asked loudly, flexing his metal arm.The pusher looked startled.“Now you kids scram.Your Aunt Becca hears I let you be at a party like this, she’ll have my head.”Peter, Ned, and MJ nodded guiltily and scurried off.Bucky knew they wouldn’t actually be leaving the party.

“Now,” Bucky said with a growl, turning to the guy who’d brought the drugs, “time to deal with _you_.”He grabbed the man and frog-marched him to the dark corner behind the greenhouse.The man looked terrified.

“Here’s the thing,” Bucky drawled as he pushed the man into a sitting position on the ledge of the building.He took his time getting a cigarette from his stash and lighting it.Bucky hoped that the breathing part of smoking would help him keep his cool and prevent him from just pushing the guy off the building.It was tempting.Once the cigarette was lit and he’d taken a drag, Bucky continued.“You show up at my friend’s party with drugs.Everyone knows my friend’s an ex-addict, see.You know who my friend is or you wouldn’t be here.That makes you a grade-A certified asshole.”

The man began to mumble something, but Bucky put his metal hand over his mouth.“I’m not done yet,” he continued.Bucky grinned evilly at the man.“On top of that, this was supposed to be a family-friendly party.That was my nephew you were talkin’ to.Kid’s only in high school.So I think you can see why I’m a little upset.”Bucky kept his hand on the man’s mouth as he paused for a moment to smoke.“Thing is, I got a past,” Bucky informed the man.“I’m not noble like Steve.Sergeant Barnes was the guy who did the dirty work so Captain America could be the hero.I got no problems takin’ out a guy just for bein’ a dick.So, here’s what’s gonna happen.”

Bucky took another long drag before he continued.This was actually kind of fun.“You’re gonna break your arm on accident.I’m gonna call a medic, who will x-ray you, cast you, and then send you home with nothing but a bottle of baby aspirin and a bill for their time.You pay that bill with money from drugs, we’ll know.I got people who can get you a job if that’s what you need.You keep sellin’ drugs, though?We call the cops.Suddenly you got a hospital bill, a broken arm, no pain meds, and a rap sheet.Now, I think this sounds like a real good deal, don’t you?Or would you rather I just push you off this ledge?”

Bucky took his hand off the man’s mouth so he could answer.The man said nothing, however.Bucky nodded.“Good,” Bucky said, and proceeded to break the man’s upper arm cleanly and completely in half.The man howled in pain.“Medic!” Bucky called out, “JARVIS, we need a medic here at the greenhouse!”

“Certainly, sir,” JARVIS replied.“And your instructions regarding this man’s care have been noted.I must say, sir, you are being much kinder than I would have been inclined to be given the situation.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Bucky muttered as he stubbed his cigarette out and tossed it into the coffee can.“Save it for when I need backup next time I do somethin’ stupid.”He strode off, nodding at the Stark Industries medic as they passed in opposite directions.

Steve helped Bucky and Bruce make pancakes for everyone the next morning.Everyone else who lived in the tower slowly joined them in various states of hung over.This ranged from Nat, who just looked tired, to Clint, who looked as though he’d been run over by a bus multiple times.Bruce whistled a cheery tune as he poured them all coffee.

“Steve, thanks for getting Tony and I out of there last night,” Pepper said.Her voice was a little raspier than usual.

“Thank Bucky,” Steve replied from the griddle where he was flipping pancakes.“He’s the one that took charge when Sam realized what was going on.”Pepper gave Bucky a grateful glance.

“You know, that really went better than it could have,” Bruce said as he set down the now-empty coffee carafe and began to brew another pot.“My analysis showed that the drugs weren’t doctored.Little odd that the guy passing them out broke his arm that high up, but I suppose anything can happen when drugs are involved… good thing you found him, Bucky.The medics said he was about ready to throw himself off the roof from the pain.”

Bucky just sipped his coffee.Steve gave him a look, but all Bucky did was innocently raise his eyebrows.

“Bucky,” Bruce said slowly, “Please tell me you had nothing to do with that guy’s arm getting broken.”Bucky just continued to sip his coffee.Nat and Sam smirked at each other.

“Bucky,” Bruce said, disappointed.

Bucky set his coffee down, rolled his eyes, and sighed.“It’s not like I didn’t give him a choice,” he said.“The guy picked a broken arm and cleanin’ up his life over gettin’ thrown off the building.”Bruce looked at Bucky like he’d just admitted to killing babies for fun.

“Does no one remember that Bucky’s been backin’ me up in fights since 1926?” Steve asked incredulously, hands on his hips.“We bonded ‘cause we didn’t like bullies.”

“I’d break their nose and you’d follow with a knee to the groin,” Bucky said, misty eyed.Bruce looked horrified, but the others all looked vaguely impressed.

“Point is,” Steve continued, “Bucky’s never taken kindly to people messin’ with his friends.”

“Nor have you,” Bucky pointed out.“I sent you after Tony and Pepper to keep your nose clean, doll.”Steve nodded in appreciation and went back to flipping pancakes.

“Well, I, for one, am glad to be counted as one of your friends,” Pepper said to Bucky.“To friendship,” she said, raising her coffee mug.The others joined in the toast, murmuring “to friendship” and trying not to clink their coffee mugs too loud.Bucky’s eyes met Steve’s and they shared a smile across the room.To friendship, indeed.


	12. You're Such a Roller Coaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Loki arrive, and the bachelor party commences!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dedicating this chapter to helloarmchairphilosopher because I am a shitty friend who forgets to buy birthday presents. Happy birthday!
> 
> I have a soft spot for mythology, dogs, and bad puns. Loki likes it when Thor calls her "brother," even though she is solidly identifying as a woman in this fic.
> 
> Chapter title from "Rollercoaster" by Bleachers.

Steve and Bucky’s wedding was scheduled for August.Maria had lucked out and found a venue in Brooklyn that had both air conditioning and a cancellation they wanted to fill.After several heated sparring sessions and a fair amount of angry sex, Bucky acquiesced to Steve’s desire to invite the Barnes family to the wedding.This turned out to be a blessing in disguise.Becca volunteered to organize a potluck dinner for the reception.A great-nephew owned a bakery and volunteered to make the cake.Two nieces and an auntie had bartending licenses and volunteered to make and serve drinks.Someone’s uncle’s godson’s brother-in-law was a florist who was more than happy to make red and white bouquets out of roses, carnations, and dahlias.

The Avengers side of the family helped too.Peter volunteered his skills as an amateur photographer.Tony finished the rings while his tailor made them matching gray suits in summer weight fabric.Pepper organized the registry, which was really just a list of charities to donate to, and handled the invitations.Clint got ordained online and worked with Steve and Bucky to cobble together a ceremony that was both Catholic and Jewish while really being neither.Bruce and Kate volunteered to organize the honeymoon.This left Sam and Nat, who were also the best man and best woman, to organize the bachelor party.

Thor arrived a week before the bachelor party.He brought with him a dozen casks of Asgardian mead and a heavily pregnant gray wolf.“My brother’s last affair didn’t go exactly as planned,” Thor informed the common room full of superheroes who were all looking at Wolf-Loki with a significant amount of distrust.“She can’t shift back until after the pups are born.”Wolf-Loki heaved a sigh in response and settled in on the most comfortable couch in the room, glaring at everyone.

“Have you guys considered having a ring-wolf instead of a ring-bear?” Tony asked, not taking his eyes off of Loki.Loki’s ears perked up and she cocked his head at this.After a moment’s thought, Wolf-Loki nodded and rested her head back on her paws, closing her eyes.

“Excellent!” Thor crowed.“My brother is happy to be able to participate in your wedding.”Steve and Bucky just looked at each other and shrugged.

Bucky woke up with a start and checked the clock.It was 0700 hours.Then he heard the sound that must have woken him up— giggling.It seemed to come from the ceiling.Bucky heaved a sigh and poked Steve, who grunted.“Steve, wake up,” Bucky whispered.

“Why,” Steve moaned, drooling on his pillow.

“I think we’re about to have company,” Bucky informed him.

“Fuuuuuck,” Steve moaned again.

That was the cue for Kate, Maria, Nat, Clint, Tony, Thor, and Sam to drop from the ceiling vent in Steve and Bucky’s bedroom.“Surprise!” they yelled.Pepper and Bruce came through the bedroom door carrying breakfast trays.

“_Why_,” Steve moaned again as Bucky groaned, “Oh God.”

“We’re taking you to Coney Island!” Tony said enthusiastically.

“Which means you might want to eat and get decent,” Bruce added sympathetically.

“Alright, alright, give us a minute,” grumbled Bucky as he pushed himself up and got out of bed.He figured seeing him buck naked served them all right.Bucky headed straight for the bathroom and began to pee, not bothering to close the door behind him.

“Bucky’s not a morning person,” Steve mumbled by way of an explanation.Also naked, Steve got out of bed and followed Bucky, closing the bathroom door.The others glanced at each other awkwardly as they heard Steve begin to chastise Bucky for urinating in front of mixed company.

By the time Bucky and Steve had quickly given each other hand jobs in the shower and emerged from the bathroom their bedroom was mercifully empty.They put on the first clothes they could find and joined the others where they had re-grouped in the kitchen.Kate and Maria greeted Steve and Bucky with white tank tops with the word “groom” printed on them in black, as well as silvery tiaras.Everyone was wearing a t-shirt or tank top that said “bachelor party” on it except for Sam and Nat, whose tanks read “best man” and “best woman”.

“Put them on!” Kate and Maria exclaimed as they pushed the tank tops towards Steve and Bucky.They looked at each other nervously as they obeyed, taking their shirts off in the middle of the kitchen and replacing them with the tight-fitting tank tops.Bucky appreciated the way the thin white fabric clung to Steve’s muscles.The way Steve was looking at Bucky, he seemed to feel the same way.

“Why don’t you take a moment to eat while Pepper and I put your tiaras on?” Nat suggested.Bucky and Steve didn’t need to be told twice.They dug into the spread that Bruce had prepared as Pepper braided Bucky’s hair around the tiara to hold it in place, finishing with a half-bun.The lower half of Bucky’s hair hung in its natural loose waves.Nat secured Steve’s tiara with some extra bobby pins, letting his straight blonde hair flow loose the way Steve liked.Sam and Clint shoved lattes into their hands the moment they were done eating as Tony loudly announced, “To the cars!”

Coney Island was just like old times, Bucky thought as he ate his corn dog.Or it would have been if in the 30’s and 40’s Bucky had been allowed to hold Steve’s hand, they had had an entourage of similarly irresponsible friends, and they were rich.He looked over and noticed that Steve had mustard in his beard and wiped it off without thinking.

“Bucky,” Steve complained, but he had a smile on his face.

Bucky remembered something and grinned wickedly.“Hey Steve,” he said, “Wanna ride the Cyclone?”

Steve looked thoughtful.“Ya think I’d get motion sick now?” he asked Bucky.

“Only one way to find out, pal,” Bucky said.He finished his corn dog, threw out the stick, and pulled Steve towards the rides.

They took a break from the rides when Pepper texted at noon to let them know the picnic on the beach was ready.Everyone settled in on blankets as Clint and Sam distributed hamburgers and alcopop.Thor shared a flask of Asgardian mead with Steve and Bucky, who were delighted to discover that the stuff actually gave them a buzz.“We thought it would, since your metabolism is actually fairly similar to Thor’s,” Bruce told them with a smile.

“You are literally a god,” Bucky said reverently.

“I mean,” Thor said with a shrug, “certain cultures on Earth have certainly thought as much in the past.”

“Well, they were certainly right,” Bucky told him.“Hey, Pepper, are you upwind?” he called out.

“I can be,” she said, picking up the blanket she and Tony had planned to sit on and moving it further that direction.

“Great,” Bucky said as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.He offered them to Bruce, Tony, and Steve first.Bruce declined.Thor accepted one curiously.Steve looked as though he wanted to say yes but wasn’t sure he should.“Steve, it’s our bachelor party.Let loose a little,” Bucky reminded him.Steve sighed and took one.Bucky lit it for him and then lit his own so he could show Thor what to do before passing the lighter to the Asgardian god.

“You didn’t offer one to anyone else,” Thor observed curiously.He inhaled and made a face.

“Yeah, ‘cause smoking cigarettes causes a slow, painful death by cancer in anyone who’s cells aren’t constantly repairing themselves,” Steve answered.

“Thing is,” Bucky added, “not everyone knew that back when we were kids.Hell, some doctors even told Steve to try it for his asthma.”

“It didn’t work,” Steve said drily.

Thor nodded.“This is the same leaf the native peoples in America held sacred for ceremonies,” he told them.

“Just another thing us white people desecrated,” Bruce said with a trace of anger in his voice.

Thor nodded knowingly.“Our people, too, have a history of colonialism,” he told Bruce.

“Ok,” Bucky interrupted, “I know this is an important conversation to have, but I am attempting to get a nice buzz and enjoy a cigarette on the beach with my husband-to-be and our friends because this is our bachelor party.Can we save the discussion of intergalactic colonialism for another time?”Thor and Bruce looked disappointed.

“Perhaps we can talk about Coney Island as a symbol of the excesses of capitalism?” Steve suggested as he breathed out a large puff of smoke.

Bucky exhaled deeply.“I just can’t win, can I,” he grumbled.

Steve smirked and elbowed Bucky.“Depends on whether you consider me a catch or not,” he said.

“Punk,” Bucky said, leaning in for a kiss.

“Jerk,” Steve replied, pressing his lips against Bucky’s.

After lunch Clint taught them all how to beat the fairway games.It only took an hour for the fairway manager to figure out what was going on and ban every single one of them for life.By then, however, the group had a nice assortment of stuffed animals and novelty balloons.“We should give these to the kids at our wedding,” Steve suggested to Bucky.Bucky let Steve know how much he liked the suggestion with a passionate kiss.

“Aww, I wanted to keep mine,” whined Clint, who had won a giant stuffed version of himself.

“I don’t think they’d mind too much if we kept some of them,” Nat murmured as she gazed happily at the giant stuffed version of herself that she was carrying.Bucky knew she didn’t consider herself a hero, so when he’d seen a giant Black Widow at a shooting booth he’d won it for her.Besides, he’d heard grooms were supposed to get their groomsmen presents, and Bucky hadn’t actually gotten anything for Nat yet.He figured this was probably better than anything he could have bought online.

Kate requested nap time on the beach, so Tony and Pepper schlepped stuffed animals and balloons back to the cars while everyone else returned to the beach.Blankets were laid out, sunscreen, alcopop and mead were distributed, and any clothing that could possibly be considered excess was shed.Bucky cuddled up to Steve and found that he couldn’t resist kissing him.This led to Steve kissing back, and soon they were in the middle of a hot and heavy makeout session.

“Guys,” Bucky heard dimly.He tried to pull away from Steve, but Steve pulled him back in and Bucky couldn’t find it in himself to protest.“Guys!” the voice insisted, and Bucky found it in himself to pull away again.Steve moved back in for another kiss, but Bucky forced himself to warn Steve by saying his name gently.“You guys are gonna get arrested for public indecency,” the voice continued, and Bucky realized it was Sam speaking.Steve sighed in resignation and rested his forehead against Bucky’s.Bucky realized that their hands had traveled downwards, their legs intertwined, their groins up against each other.

“Later, Stevie,” Bucky promised, prompting another sigh from Steve.“Come on, doll, let’s go get some ice cream,” Bucky suggested.

“Alright,” Steve said.They slowly got up and, taking Sam with them, left the others to sleep on the beach while they got ice cream cones.

The next stop after Coney Island was Maria’s family’s restaurant.Thor disappeared into the kitchen shortly after they got there and returned with a pitcher of margaritas specifically for himself, Steve, Bucky, and Bruce.Platters of food were passed around the table as everyone shared tacos, arepas, empanadas, and a few other dishes that Bucky was unfamiliar with but were absolutely delicious.Thor and Bruce found a willing participant in their discussion of colonialism in Maria’s tío, who was more than happy to share his perspective.Bucky rolled his eyes and smiled at Steve, who was laughing through his taco at something Kate had said.Everyone at the table was smiling, laughing, and relaxed— even Pepper, Bucky realized.He experienced a moment of deep gratitude that his and Steve’s happiness could effect others in this way.

After dinner they returned to the tower and went up to the rooftop, where Thor tapped a keg of Asgardian mead and Pepper opened several bottles of champagne.“To Steve and Bucky!” Nat toasted, and the party began.Kate started playing music and pulled Maria into the area that served as a dance floor.They were soon joined by Pepper and Tony and Nat and Sam.

“Come join us!” Sam, who was definitely drunk at this point, called out to Steve, Bucky, Clint, Bruce, and Thor.Bruce, who was at this point tipsy, shook his head and began to strip off.The others watched in horrified fascination as he jumped in the pool instead.Clint followed suit.Thor looked at Steve and Bucky, shrugged, and then took off his own clothing and joined Bruce and Clint for a swim.

Bucky knocked back the rest of his drink and realized with a sort of giddiness that the was drunk for the first time since 1943.His head swam a bit from the movement and swam even more as he looked at Steve.Steve was so beautiful— his blonde hair shaggy and mussed, his pale skin flushed with alcohol, his bright blue eyes crinkled with laughter, his lips red from the kisses he kept stealing from Bucky.Bucky grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled in the direction of the dance floor.Steve understood.He finished his drink and got up, wobbling a tiny bit, and followed Bucky.

It quickly became clear that they were too drunk to swing dance.Bucky laughed as he fell against Steve.Steve had always been a terrible dancer anyway.Steve grabbed Bucky by the hips and pulled him close, grinding up against Bucky in time to the music.“This is how the kids dance these days,” Steve informed Bucky by whispering into his ear.

“I like it,” Bucky whispered back, wrapping his arms around Steve’s shoulders.Steve just kissed him in response.

After a couple songs of this Nat and Sam interrupted everyone to inform them that there was cake.Toasts were made, cake was consumed, and the party started to come to a close.Soon Tony and Pepper bid everyone goodnight.They were followed by Kate and Maria, who were shortly followed by Sam, Nat, and Clint.Thor and Bruce decided to fill a large container with mead and head down to the lab to talk science, which left Steve and Bucky alone on the roof with the rest of the keg of mead.They filled two large plastic glasses and stripped down to get into the pool, enjoying the cool water on their flushed skin.

“We don’t have any lube, do we,” Steve asked sadly as he observed their erections.

“Au contraire,” Bucky replied.He got out of the pool and walked, dripping, towards the greenhouse, returning with his stash box.“I’ve been keeping some up here ever since you started to join me for the occasional cigarette,” Bucky informed Steve.

Drunk sex in the water turned out to be much more difficult than either of them had anticipated.They moved to a lawn chair, but discovered that even then sex while that drunk was not particularly effective.They soon gave up and just kissed, touching and grinding where and when the mood struck.After a bit Steve gave a soft laugh.“What’re ya thinkin’ ‘bout?” Bucky asked through his kisses.

“Whiskey an’ cigarettes,” Steve replied.“Our first kiss.”

“Well,” Bucky drawled slowly, “We ain’t got whiskey, but we do got cigs.”They kissed, drank mead, and smoked cigarettes late into the night, falling asleep with the first light.

Nat came to find them mid-morning, the sound of her footsteps causing Bucky to jerk awake.He realized he still wasn’t sober when he went to put his finger on his lips to shush Nat and hit his nose instead.Nat stifled a giggle and adjusted an umbrella over them, blocking the glare from the sun.Bucky was asleep again before he could manage to thank her with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: My husband and I have very few friends that aren't part of our collective friend group, so when we got married, our solution was to do a joint bachelor/bachelorette party. It seemed natural for Steve and Bucky to do the same thing.


	13. The Red in My Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky realize that wedding planning is a lot harder than they realized.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just entirely idiot plot. I love them so much.
> 
> Chapter title from "Jackie and Wilson" by Hozier.

Steve understood now why weddings took months to plan.When he, Bucky, Kate, and Maria had sat down six days before the wedding and taken inventory, they realized with horror that they had forgotten completely about basics such as chairs, tables, tablecloths, place settings, and non-floral decorations.

They brought Sam and Pepper in, since they were the most logical of the group and least likely to suggest theft.Steve, Bucky, Kate, and Maria watched nervously as Pepper and Sam read the shared to-do list on their tablets.Sam let out a low whistle as he reached the end of it.Pepper was glowing slightly.She took a deep breath and held her hand out to Bucky, palm up.“Cigarette,” she demanded with a glare.

“No,” Bucky told her, folding his arms.

“Cigarette _now_,” Pepper hissed.

“What would Rhodey say?” Bucky asked her.The others were following along like a tennis match.

“Rhodey would have you court marshaled for your complete and utter lack of foresight,” Pepper informed Bucky with a glare.

Bucky sighed.“Fine.What would _Tony_ say?”

Pepper lowered her hand.She was still glaring at Bucky, but apparently recognized defeat.Steve was impressed.

“It’s my fault anyway,” Maria said ruefully.“I should have known better, but I’ve been so busy in the lab—“

“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” Kate said as she glared at Maria.“We’ve had a whole team we’ve been delegating tasks to and no one considered that we might be missing anything.”

Sam was looking at the list thoughtfully.“Pepper, how many of these things can we borrow from SI?” he asked.

Pepper took a deep breath and began to work her way down the list, color coding.“Everything in green we can easily borrow from SI.Steve, Bucky, I’m charging you for labor,” she said.

“That’s fair,” Steve replied.

“We always use fancy disposables at Wilson family gatherings,” Sam said.“Would you guys be ok with that?”

Bucky looked resigned.“I guess we’re gonna have to be,” he grumbled.

Steve frowned.“What about the ecological footprint thought?” he asked.“Can we do compostable instead?”

“It’ll look less fancy,” Sam warned.

Bucky sighed.“My sister’s organizing a potluck,” he said.“It’s not fancy anyways.”

“And… ordered,” Kate said as she tapped on her tablet.“Ready for in-store pickup in two hours.”

“You included extra cups, forks, and dessert plates, correct?” Pepper asked.“What about a cake cutting set?”

“Shit,” Kate swore.“I am now.”

Bucky frowned.“Do we need a special cake cutting set?” he asked.

“You could do it military style and use a sword,” Sam suggested.

Steve’s face lit up.“Bucky!Could we use your knives?”

Bucky looked thoughtful.“I suppose my bowie knives would work for serving,” he mused.“Perhaps a garrote would be better for cutting though?It would be easier to get clean, even cuts than if we used a dagger…”

“It’s your wedding,” Sam said, clearly full of misgivings.

“Let’s do it, babe,” Steve said to Bucky.He knew how Bucky felt about his knives.Bucky smiled back at him.

“Now, who’s supplying drinks?” Pepper asked.“I know you’ve got people bartending.Are they bringing it?Are you?What will you have?What are your non-alcoholic options?”Bucky, Kate, Steve, and Maria exchanged guilty glances.Pepper sighed.“Alright, I’ll put Tony and Thor to work on that.”Steve watched as she sent a quick text.“Favors?” Pepper asked as she moved down the list.

“Is that a thing we need to have?” Bucky asked skeptically.The women glared at him.“Alright, alright,” he said, putting his hands up in defeat.They sat in silence for a while, thinking.

“StarkTech tablets?” Pepper suggested.

Sam shook his head.“Too ostentatious.”

“Mini liquor bottles?” Kate asked.

“There are kids coming,” Maria reminded her.

“Pocket knives?” Bucky said hopefully.

“KIDS,” Maria emphasized.

“What?” Bucky said, confused.“I got my first pocket knife when I was five!”Maria and Pepper looked horrified, but Kate nodded approvingly.

“What about a notebook and a nice pen?” Steve asked.“Everyone can use those.”

Sam shook his head in disbelief.“You are so old fashioned sometimes,” he said.

“That’s good, though,” Kate mused.“And then we can ask everyone to tear out the first page and write advice for the happy couple.That sort of thing’s always cute.”

“Plus then you’ve got a little memento from everyone who came!” Maria exclaimed.“Katie, that’s a great idea.”

Bucky nodded at Steve.“Let’s do it,” he said.Kate began to tap on her tablet again, beginning the ordering process.

Pepper frowned at the list.“What are you doing for a sound system?Do you have a DJ?”Steve, Bucky, Kate, and Maria looked at each other again.“I’ll take that as a no,” Pepper said as she added it to the list in green.“Last but not least, centerpieces?” she asked.

Everyone looked at Steve.“Oh no,” he said, shaking his head.“I only work in 2D.”

“You’re also the only one here with an artistic bone in their body,” Kate pointed out.

Steve looked at Bucky helplessly.“We’ll think of something, doll,” Bucky assured him.

“I hope you’re right,” Steve said skeptically.

Since everyone else had tasks to accomplish Steve and Bucky were left alone in their apartment to brainstorm.After an hour Bucky started chain smoking.After two hours Steve rolled a joint and proceeded to get stoned.After six hours they were laying on the floor surrounded by empty junk food containers, two overflowing ash trays, and a thick haze of smoke.They were also no closer to an idea than they had been when they started.A knock on the door made them jump with surprise.“Come in,” Steve and Bucky called in a flat, raspy unison.

Sam opened the door and had a coughing fit.“How the hell have you not set off the smoke alarm?” he asked, turning on the kitchen vent fan.

“I disabled it months ago,” Bucky said vaguely, waving a cigarette.

“Of course you did,” Sam groaned.

Steve exhaled a large cloud of marijuana smoke.“I mean, havin’ centerpieces is just part of the whole capitalist ideal of a huge white wedding anyway,” he said, clearly continuing a rant that he had started a while ago.

“But we’re subvertin’ that anyway by bein’ two men,” Bucky reminded Steve.“Part of the whole Protestant work ethic that’s made capitalism possible is havin’ a shit ton a kids ta do the work.By bein’ two guys doin’ that’s impossible.”

“Wait,” Sam said slowly, “are you guys debating the _ethics_ of centerpieces?”

Steve shrugged.“’S easier’n comin’ up with an idea,” he informed Sam.

“Oh Lord,” Sam groaned.He grabbed a six pack of beer out of the fridge and joined Steve and Bucky in the living room, sinking down into the couch.“Ok, let’s see what we can do about this centerpiece situation,” he said as he cracked one open.

Two hours later Nat walked in with their takeout order.“Look,” Steve drawled, “All I’m sayin’ is there’s somethin’ inherently wrong with a system that can’t provide people with their basic needs.”

Nat sighed as she set the bags of Thai food down on the kitchen counter.“Alright, comrades, dinner’s here,” she informed them in her thickest Russian accent.Steve, Bucky, and Sam blinked at her owlishly.Steve’s eyelids felt incredibly heavy.

“I can’t move,” Bucky informed Nat.“There’s no floor on my feet.I’d fall.”

Nat put her hands on her hips, exasperated.“It’s called standing up,” she informed him.

“Oh yeah,” Bucky said, realization dawning on his face.

“Just how high are you?” Nat inquired as she began to pull takeout boxes out of the plastic bags.

“About six-three,” Steve said with a giggle.Bucky and Sam laughed uproariously

“And what’s prompted this?” she asked.

“Centerpieces,” Sam informed Nat seriously as he started on the second beer of his second six pack.Nat grabbed a full bottle of vodka out of the freezer and brought the food over to the living room.

When Clint finally found where Natasha had disappeared to he had to choke back a laugh.“Steve, communism isn’t the answer.My parents _gave me up_ because they knew I’d have a better life being brought up by the government instead of in a Siberian prison camp,” Nat said forcefully.

“An’ I keep tellin’ ya, that’s not communism the way Marx intended,” Steve angrily replied.

“Which is why we need socialism!” Bucky stated firmly.Sam shifted sleepily on the couch and began to drool into a cushion.

Steve frowned as he saw Clint take a picture.“Hey,” he complained.Before he could say anything else Clint had disappeared into the ceiling vent.

Steve woke up the next morning with his face in a box coated with teriyaki and chocolate bar wrappers stuck to his arms.He groaned as he realized he was still on the floor.

“My head,” Steve heard Sam moan from the couch.

“You boys,” Natasha laughed from the kitchen.Steve realized he smelled coffee.

“Aw, Clint, no,” Bucky moaned from somewhere to Steve’s right.Steve blinked blearily and realized Bucky was on his phone.He grabbed his own to see what Bucky was talking about.

“Oh no,” Steve moaned as he found the photo on Clint’s Twitter feed.Sam was passed out on the couch surrounded by beer bottles.Nat was in the middle of taking a swig from the bottle of vodka.Bucky was gesturing forcefully with a cigarette in his mouth, while Steve was very clearly smoking a joint.The mess of wrappers, cigarette and joint ends, takeout containers, and rolling supplies was clearly visible despite the haze of smoke that gave the photo a grayish tint.Clint had captioned it #weddingplanning and #stuckywedding.It was also trending.

“Don’t worry,” Nat said calmly.“Pepper’s already working on damage control and Tony’s revoked Clint’s wifi and data access until further notice.”

“I’m gonna kill him,” Bucky muttered.

Steve closed his eyes and sighed.“You can’t, Buck, he’s our officiant.”

“After the wedding, then,” Bucky said darkly.

“The good news,” Nat said as she brought around steaming mugs of coffee, “is that I’ve had an idea for your centerpieces.”

By the time Pepper stopped by the apartment to read them all the riot act they were hard and work.Nat and Bucky were cutting out different sized red and white stars while Sam glued them together, alternating between white on red and red on white.Steve sealed them with a coat of clear paint that had been infused with red and silver glitter.Clint had been called in to do his part as well.He morosely attached the finished stars to the top of red and silver balloon weights.

“I can’t even be mad,” Pepper sighed as she sank onto a bar stool.“Not you,” she snapped at Clint, who had looked up hopefully.“I mean, I am, but honestly, every single media request from a married person has included some sort of statement about how that photo is such a ‘mood’.The mommy bloggers are running wild with it.You’re all a meme now.”

“Bucky?” Steve said as he painted yet another star, “Let’s never do this again, ok?”

“Sounds great to me, doll,” Bucky said tiredly.“Once is enough.”Steve’s eyes met Bucky’s and they smiled at each other through their exhaustion.Steve knew it was all going to be worth the hassle.


	14. Just Say I Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stucky wedding!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been having a bit of a rough time the past couple days. I appreciate you all bearing with me!
> 
> Chapter title is from "Marry Me" by Bruno Mars.

Steve adjusted his blood-red tie in Sam’s mirror and stepped back to look at himself.He’d opted for a straighter, boxier cut for his wedding suit.Steve and Bucky had swapped cufflinks for their “something borrowed;” the ruby stars glittered when they caught the light.Steve’s bit of blue was his underwear.His suit was new, obviously.His pocket square was one of Steve’s old military handkerchiefs that Peggy had kept.She’d had one of Bucky’s, too, and Steve had given it to him when Bucky had come back.Steve knew Bucky planned on wearing his as a pocket square as well.

“You look good, pal,” Sam said as he clapped a hand on Steve’s shoulder.He and Nat were going to be in matching all-white suits.Sam opened the container with Steve’s boutonniere and carefully pinned the red rose to Steve’s lapel.“Nervous?” he asked, noticing a bead of sweat on Steve’s neck.

“Yeah,” Steve admitted huskily.

“Good,” Sam said.“My mama always said if you weren’t nervous about makin’ a big life choice you were probably makin’ the wrong one.” 

Steve smiled.“Think you’ll ever get married?” he asked.

Sam shook his head.“If I was gonna marry anyone it would’ve been Riley,” he told Steve.“I like what I’ve got right now with Nat and Clint.Maybe one day I’ll change my mind, but not yet.”

Steve nodded.“I understand,” he told Sam.

“I know you do,” Sam replied softly.“Now come on, we’re gonna be late.”

The venue was one of those places that had been a dilapidated warehouse until someone decided that brick walls, wood floors, high windows, and industrial ceiling beams made for a good wedding spot after some Edison bulbs were installed.Half the space was set up with tables, chairs, and a buffet and bar area.The other half was set up for the ceremony.Once the ceremony was over it would be cleared away to create a dance floor.

Sam unceremoniously shoved Steve into a closet when they arrived, hissing, “The guests can’t see you yet!”Steve moved back as Sam slammed the door and bumped into someone else who was already hiding.

“Come here often, sugar?” Bucky asked.

“Oh, thank God, it’s you,” Steve said fervently.“Bucky, I’m so nervous,” he added.

“Me too,” Bucky admitted.“Good thing we ended up shoved into a dark closet together with nothin’ but a bottle of lube to take our minds off things.”He pulled a small bottle out of the pocket of his slim-cut suit pants and waved it at Steve.

“You have such good ideas, Buck,” Steve moaned as he undid his pants and pushed them down.Bucky undid his own pants, hoisted Steve up to his waist with his metal arm, and began to prep him with his flesh fingers.Steve kissed Bucky, moaning softly into his mouth as Bucky pulled out his fingers and inserted his dick.

The thrill of having sex in a dark closet at a public venue right before their wedding meant that it didn’t take Bucky long to fill Steve with hot, wet cum.They felt around and found some cleaning rags to wipe themselves down with so as not to stain their suits.Bucky had sunk to his knees and was taking care of Steve’s erection when Sam and Nat opened the closet door.Steve came in his shock.Bucky wasn’t quite ready for it and ended up with semen all over his beard.

“_Why_ didn’t you check to make sure the closet was empty,” Nat hissed at Sam.

Sam sighed.“I’ll get them cleaned up.You distract.”He glared at Steve and Bucky as they awkwardly made themselves decent enough to make it to the bathroom.

“Worth it,” Steve mouthed to Bucky.Bucky gave him a low five in response.Sam just shook his head, exasperated.

In the light of the bathroom Steve could finally take time to look at Bucky properly.His gray suit was slim cut.Steve’s diamond star cufflinks glittered in the light.Underneath the suit he wore a blood red shirt that matched Steve’s tie and a white bow tie.His boutonniere was a white rose.Blue socks just barely peeked out above his dress shoes.His hair was half pulled back into a loose bun, and he’d copied Steve and worn just a little makeup— enough to enhance photos, but not so much that it was obvious.Steve grinned at him.

“What?” Bucky asked, noticing Steve’s eyes on him as he carefully dabbed cum out of his beard.

“You’re beautiful,” Steve said softly.

“You are too, punk,” Bucky said as he removed the last traces of Steve from his beard and smoothed it into place.

“Are you two ready?” Sam asked impatiently.

“I think we are,” Steve said, smiling, as Bucky took his hand.Sam held the bathroom door open and they walked through the lobby and into the ceremony together.

Clint opened with a blessing in Hebrew followed by the Lord’s Prayer in Latin.Instead of something Biblical Bucky and Steve had agreed upon a poem they had stumbled across.They held hands and gazed into each other’s eyes as Clint read the verse by Rilke:

_Do you still remember: falling stars,_

_ how they leapt slantwise through the sky_

_ like horses over suddenly held-out hurdles_

_ of our wishes— did we have _ _so_ _ many?—_

_ for stars, innumerable, leapt everywhere;_

_ almost every gaze upward became_

_ wedded to the swift hazard of their play,_

_ and our heart felt like a single thing_

_ beneath that vast disintegration of their brilliance—_

_ and was whole, as if it would survive them!_

Clint paused after the poem and set his notecards down.“I have it on good authority that Steve and Bucky have been inseparable since 1926,” he said.“So while this looks impulsive, this is probably the least impulsive thing either of them has done in their entire lives.”The guests giggled.Steve and Bucky blushed and glanced down at each other’s shoes.“Honestly, I was never really a believer in marriage before,” Clint continued.“I’d never seen a healthy example of what it could be like.But watching Steve and Bucky as they’ve worked through their issues together and become stronger, better people because of each other’s influence— well, that’s a true marriage right there.Thank you, gentlemen, for blessing all of us with the love you two share.You make people happy wherever you go— don’t shake your head at me James Buchanan Barnes, that is the absolute truth.Ok, maybe Sam and Nat weren’t too happy to find you two in the janitor’s closet before the ceremony, but that’s their fault and it’s gonna be an absolutely hilarious story later and everyone here knows it.”There was more laughter.Steve and Bucky grinned sheepishly at each other while Nat and Sam stood on either side of them, stony-faced.

“Will the ring-wolf please come forward?” Clint asked.Wolf-Loki, who looked ready to give birth any moment, lumbered up to Nat with a ring box held carefully in her teeth.Nat took it gently and Wolf-Loki went back to her comfortable bed in the front row next to Thor and collapsed.Nat opened the box and held it out to Steve and Bucky.

Tony had done an amazing job on the rings, Steve reflected.The one made from Vibranium was smooth and shiny.The one made from Bucky’s arm scraps matched the texture and layers of Bucky’s arm.Steve carefully took his ring out of the box as Bucky did the same, their right hands joining now.

“Steven Grant Rogers,” Clint began, “Do you wish to take this man, James Buchanan Barnes, as your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do,” Steve said, his voice ringing with absolute conviction.“I, Steven Grant Rogers, wish to take this man, James Buchanan Barnes, as my lawfully wedded husband.”

“James Buchanan Barnes,” Clint continued, “Do you wish to take this man, Steven Grant Rogers, as your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do,” Bucky answered, his voice choked with emotion.“I, James Buchanan Barnes, wish to take this man, Steven Grant Rogers, as my lawfully wedded husband.”

“Steven, please place your ring upon James’ left ring finger as you say, ‘With this ring, I thee wed,’” Clint instructed.

Steve gently released Bucky’s hand so that Bucky could hold Steve’s ring in his right as Steve put his ring on Bucky.He gently held Bucky’s left hand and slowly slid the ring over Bucky’s metallic ring finger.It clicked satisfyingly into place in the spot Tony had made for it.Steve looked up from Bucky’s hand and met Bucky’s icy blue eyes as he vowed, “With this ring, I thee wed.”Tears were beginning to well up in Bucky’s eyes.

“James, will you please place your ring on Steven’s finger as you say, ‘With this ring, I thee wed,” Clint said.

Steve felt Bucky’s flesh hand tremble slightly as he slowly slid his ring onto Steve’s finger.“With this ring, I thee wed,” Bucky stated passionately.Steve felt tears coming into his own eyes.

“Anyone object?” Clint asked.“No?Great.By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now declare you husband and husband.You may kiss the groom.”

Steve and Bucky closed the distance between them and kissed, tears flowing freely now.After a minute Clint tapped them on the shoulder and whispered, “You gotta go down the aisle now.”Steve and Bucky broke apart laughing and gazed at each other, their eyes overflowing with tears and love.Steve wrapped his arm around Bucky and Bucky wrapped his arm around Steve as they walked down the aisle, waving to their friends and family.

Sam, Nat, and Clint followed and ushered Steve and Bucky to a side room.Peter joined them and took pictures as they signed the marriage license.“We’ll give you boys a moment alone,” Nat said once they were done, motioning at Sam, Peter, and Clint to follow her out.Steve looked at Bucky happily.Bucky, however, was looking outside.

“Think that thing goes to the roof?” Bucky asked, pointing to the fire escape outside the window.He smirked at Steve and winked.

“Only one way to find out,” Steve said, smirking back.

The fire escape ladder didn’t quite reach the roof, but the distance wasn’t a problem for two super soldiers.Steve and Bucky stripped down as quickly as they could, setting their clothes aside on the cleanest part of the roof they could find.They fingered each other as they kissed, desperate and needy, until Steve finally pulled his fingers out and slid his slicked-up cock into Bucky.Bucky moaned and bit into Steve’s shoulder to keep quiet.Steve gritted his teeth and shut his eyes as he pounded Bucky, desperate for release.He came with a scream that terrified the pigeons on the other side of the roof and probably could have been heard halfway across Brooklyn.

“Christ, Stevie,” was all Bucky could say as he slid off of Steve and pushed him down.Steve was still ready from before he had fucked Bucky, so Bucky slid in from behind and began to pull on Steve’s hair as he filled him.Steve moaned and panted with desperation.Bucky, clearly also desperate, gripped Steve as hard as he dared and thrust as deep and fast as he could without outright jackhammering.He bent over and bit Steve’s shoulder blade as he came, wanting to prevent making any more noise that might attract someone to the roof.They collapsed, tangled up in each other, and began kissing.Steve pressed his left hand against Bucky’s pec.Bucky placed his own hand over it, pressing the ring deeper into his skin.“We’re married,” Bucky whispered in awe and wonder.

“We’re married,” Steve agreed, happy and content.

“You have ten minutes to make yourselves decent and get down here,” Nat’s voice floated up to them from the direction of the fire escape.Steve sighed.

“Cigarette?” Bucky offered.Steve accepted and they smoked as they got dressed, brushing dust and dirt off of each other and making sure suits and ties were neat.

“Let’s go a little easier on the mead this time,” Steve said to Bucky as they climbed down the fire escape.“I wanna actually be able to fuck you tonight.”

“Sure thing, sugar,” Bucky said as he dropped their cigarette butts into the ash can in the alley with sniper-like precision.“I was thinking tonight would be a good night for some experimentation,” Bucky informed Steve with a suggestive wink.“What’s your record for most orgasms in a 24 hour period?”

Steve thought for a moment.“Six?” he answered, although he wasn’t too sure.

“I bet I can get you to six _consecutively_,” Bucky whispered in Steve’s ear as they walked into the wedding party and greeted their guests with a wave.Steve shivered with desire.He had no time to respond, however, as they were soon flooded with well-wishers.Thor came up behind them and handed them each a large glass of mead with a wink before disappearing back into the crowd.Steve and Bucky took grateful sips, eyeing each other as they did so, and proceeded to perform their role as gracious hosts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem is [Untitled] "Do you remember falling stars" by Rainer Maria Rilke.


	15. Who's the Lovin' Daddy with the Beautiful Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky's wedding reception!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff now, smut later.
> 
> Chapter title from "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller.

Once Steve and Bucky had chatted with all of their guests Natasha and Sam steered them towards the food.Pepper announced that guests could line up behind Steve and Bucky for dinner.The Barnes family had pulled out all the stops, and Steve and Bucky found they needed two plates each just to have some of everything.They had to balance their plates carefully as they made their way over to the table they were sharing with Becca, Nat, and Clint.

Becca was still wiping tears from her eyes.“I never in a million years thought I would see you boys married,” she said with a tremor in her voice.She was much more frail than she had been in April.One of her daughters had informed Steve and Bucky in a low aside that the occasional cough she had developed was due to congestive heart failure.

“Well, Becca, I’m officially part of the family now,” Steve told her with a grin.

“You basically were before,” Becca said, rolling her eyes.

Nat and Sam appeared, carrying a plate apiece plus one for Becca.“Here you go, bubbe,” Nat said as she set the plate down in front of her.

“Thank you, granddaughter,” Becca replied.Nat blinked hard and pretended not to tear up.Becca, Sam, Bucky, and Steve pretended not to notice.

Once Pepper saw that Steve and Bucky’s table had finished eating she announced that it was time for speeches.Nat went first.“I’m not really known for sentiment,” Nat informed the crowd as they looked at her awkwardly, “so I’ll make this short.”She paused and looked over at Steve and Bucky.“I’ve known Bucky since I was a teenager.He’s the only person alive who knows me as well as I know myself.It’s a bit terrifying, if I’m being honest.I’d’ve killed him already if I didn’t know it would upset Steve.”A couple people tittered, unsure whether Nat was joking or not.Steve glanced at Bucky and saw that he was grinning.

“The Winter Soldier was the first person to believe in me,” Nat continued.“Steve was the fifth.When I found out who they were to each other— well, it made sense somehow.It’s been an honor to be able to support you both.I look forward to our continued friendship.To Bucky and Steve,” she toasted.

Sam went next.“When I first met these guys Steve was working on becoming an international fugitive and Bucky was trying to kill him.I should’ve run the other way, right?But you know when you meet someone and you realize that their brand of crazy is your brand of crazy?I got that with these guys.They are the most loyal, selfless assholes a guy could meet.One minute they’re driving you crazy and the next you’re punching Nazis in the face together.When you stop for a break Barnes spoon feeds you his latest creation and Steve’s handing you a sketch of your most badass moment of the fight that he’s drawn entirely from memory.

“I’ve never seen two guys with so many issues that are also so committed to helping each other out,” Sam continued.“The amount of trust these guys have in each other— it’s beautiful.I mean, Steve literally laid down his shield because he trusted Bucky to break through his programming.And the crazy thing is, it worked.That is some soulmate level stuff right there.”

Sam went on.“The things these guys have been through to get here— illnesses, a world war, 70 years of ice and torture, aliens, homophobia, antisemitism, plus a whole bunch of other stuff I don’t need to talk about— it’s a lot.But you’ve made it through, guys.You’re here, you’re queer, you’re literally punching the world into a better place.I can’t wait to watch you kick ass and take names as a married couple.”Sam raised his glass.“To Bucky and Steve!” he toasted.Sam passed Becca the microphone.

“I’m gonna have to sit, so I’m sorry if you can’t see me.I’ll be available for autographs later,” Becca quipped.The guests giggled.“I don’t remember life before Jimmy and Steve,” Becca said.“I remember life after, and boy, was that dark.Those boys brought so much light into my life.Steve was always part of the family— it was like having two older brothers.And the trouble they got into!”

Becca paused and laughed at the memory.“Our dad had no problem taking the belt to both boys when they got caught fighting, or stealing his moonshine and cigarettes, or beating up on me.And before you feel sorry for me, we deserved every fight the three of us got into!Poor Steve always had to think fast about whether Jimmy or I was the one that’d said something outta line, ‘cause he’d always jump in on whoever’s side he thought was right.

“I always knew Jimmy and Steve loved each other,” Becca continued.“But things were different then, you know.That sort of thing was illegal.But I always knew.I don’t know that the boys know this, but when I helped during the AIDS crisis— well, I was really helping for them.I couldn’t shake thinking that my brother and his best friend might’ve been in one of those hospital beds if they’d lived past the war.”Steve squeezed Bucky’s hand at this.Bucky squeezed back, just a little too hard.

“But you _lived_,” Becca said.“You beat the odds and all the interesting times life threw at you, and you’re here.And I couldn’t be more proud of you boys.So please!Join me in raising a toast to my brothers, James Buchanan Barnes-Rogers and Steven Grant Barnes-Rogers.L’Chaim!”

“I think Becca’s decided what you’re doing about your last name,” Bucky muttered to Steve, just loud enough that he knew Becca would hear.

“She always was a conniving little twerp,” Steve muttered back, also making sure that Becca could hear him.Becca rolled up her speech and swatted them with it.

Steve and Bucky did indeed cut the cake with a garrote.Steve took one end and Bucky took the other, and working together they cut the entire cake into neat slices.Bucky served them using his favorite bowie knife.Once they had their slices of cake Steve neatly cut a piece with his fork and fed Bucky tenderly.Bucky, however, was feeling mischievous.Steve noticed the glint in his eye as Bucky purposely got frosting in Steve’s beard.“Oops,” Bucky said innocently, and he leaned in to kiss the frosting off of Steve.Steve couldn’t help laughing and kissing him back.

Steve and Bucky had been practicing for their first dance since their proposal.Bucky wanted to swing dance with Steve.After a full three hours of pouting Steve had given in and Bucky started working on a routine that Steve could learn.Bucky picked Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood” and proceeded to teach Steve how to follow until he reached a point that Bucky could throw in just about any simple change and Steve could run with it.Bucky had then slowly added in lifts, dips, and complicated twirling patterns to the point that Steve felt it was practically saturated with them.

Steve and Bucky were both a little tipsy by the time it came to dance.Steve knew from the look in Bucky’s eye that he wasn’t going to do what they’d practiced.Bucky soon proved him right.Bucky had always been a dancer, and right now he was showing off for Steve.Steve followed along and found himself laughing giddily, gazing adoringly at Bucky whenever he could.They had both ditched their suit jackets and ties; the top few buttons on Bucky’s shirt were undone and his sleeves were rolled up.His black suspenders made him look positively rakish.As the song drew to a close Bucky lifted Steve and tossed him lightly, then caught him by the hip and a hand as Steve came down and pulled him into a low dip over Bucky’s knee. 

They stayed frozen after the song ended, catching their breaths and gazing into each others eyes.No one else existed for Steve in that moment.Steve wrapped his arms around Bucky’s neck as Bucky pulled him in and kissed him.Steve kissed back, soft but deep.“’Til the end of the line, pal,” Bucky whispered as they broke apart.

“’Til the end of the line,” Steve whispered back.

Bucky tried to convince Steve to keep swing dancing, but lust won out and Steve was successfully able to convince Bucky that taking turns grinding up on each other’s asses was the best way to go.Eventually Tony came up to them and tapped Steve on the shoulder.“Your car is here,” he informed them.“Before you scar us all for life by actually having sex on the dance floor in front of your wedding guests.”Steve and Bucky laughed and then began to say their goodbyes.The remaining guests followed them out to Tony’s limo.They waved as the car drove off and then made out the rest of the way back to the tower.


	16. Baby, Don't-cha Know That it's Rude to Keep My Two Lips Waitin' When They're in the Mood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedding night sex!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 90% porn, 10% fluff.
> 
> Chapter title from "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller.

Steve and Bucky couldn’t decide who should carry whom over the threshold of their apartment.They settled for stepping over it together, arm-in-arm.Steve frowned when he saw that the kitchen table was covered in presents.Bucky just rolled his eyes and pulled Steve towards the bedroom.

“So, doll,” Bucky said roughly, pushing Steve down onto the bed, “I believe I promised you a minimum of six consecutive orgasms.”He began to slowly unbutton Steve’s shirt the rest of the way.

“You did,” Steve said, challenging Bucky to make good on his promise with his eyes.

“I don’t just mean little ones from your prostate,” Bucky growled as he climbed on top of Steve and wrestled him out of his shirt and suspenders.“I mean making that poor dick of yours red and swollen from exhaustion.”Steve moaned as Bucky worked his way down to Steve’s pants and pushed them down.“And I’m gonna start,” Bucky said, “with this,” and he swallowed Steve all the way down.Steve moaned again and arched his back as Bucky began to tenderly rake his teeth over Steve’s shaft, his tongue working over the side.Steve began to gently fuck into Bucky’s mouth, causing Bucky to hum.The vibrations along with Bucky’s teeth and tongue were too much for Steve, and he came with a shout into Bucky’s mouth.“One down, at _least_ five more to go,” Bucky said wickedly as he flicked his tongue over Steve’s cock, cleaning him up.

Steve shivered with anticipation as Bucky slowly stripped for him.By the time Bucky was naked Steve was hard and quivering.Bucky stuck his tongue out and licked the tip of Steve’s penis, his eyes focused on Steve’s face.He was so beautiful and _wicked_, Steve thought, closing his eyes and moaning as Bucky slowly licked and sucked him into orgasm number two.Steve cried out as he came, his hips shuddering into Bucky’s mouth and sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

“I ain’t done with you yet, Stevie,” Bucky told Steve as he kissed his way from the base of Steve’s cock to his balls and all the way back to his rim.Bucky started to circle it with his tongue and slowly began to work his way in, flicking his tongue in deeper as he massaged Steve’s ass.Steve’s moans shifted to needy gasps.

“You need me, doll,” Bucky said as he lubed his metal fingers and slowly worked one into Steve’s ass.“You’ve always needed me,” he continued, working a second finger in and scissoring his fingers against Steve’s prostate.Steve gasped loudly; his dick twitched with interest.“You get me, Stevie daddy,” Bucky said, rough and deep; he slipped a third finger in as he added, “any time you want me.”Steve whimpered as Bucky continued to massage his prostate.“How much do you think you can take, doll?” Bucky asked suggestively.“You want daddy to give you a fourth finger?”

Steve very much wanted to take a fourth finger.He pushed against Bucky, panting with need.His dick began to slowly get hard again.“Oh Stevie,” Bucky moaned as his pinkie joined the others in Steve’s ass.“You’re such a good little slut for daddy, always begging for more.”

“Please,” Steve whined, “Bucky, please.”He wasn’t sure what he was even asking for— he just knew he needed.

“Naughty little slut,” Bucky said happily.He was clearly enjoying this.He added his tongue to the four fingers in Steve’s ass and began to massage Steve’s perineum with his thumb at the same time as he licked into Steve and pressed rhythmically into Steve’s prostate.Steve barely had time to register Bucky’s incredible feat of coordination when he felt himself working into his third orgasm, slow and overwhelming.

Bucky gently worked his fingers out of Steve and wiped them on the towel they kept by the bed.“My turn,” he informed Steve, grinning.Bucky made sure Steve was watching as he stroked lube onto his dick.Then he climbed on top of Steve and eased in, kissing Steve as he did so.Steve kissed back, still feeling needy, wanting the sensation of Bucky filling and stretching him.

“I’m gonna fuck you for as long as you can stand,” Bucky growled.He sounded desperate.“I’m gonna fill you with cum until you’re dripping with my cock still in you,” he continued as he began to roll his hips.Steve moaned with pleasure.“I’m gonna give you every bit of myself I can, tonight and always,” Bucky told Steve.“And best of all,” he added, now in a whisper, “you’re gonna cum too ‘cause you love it so much.”

Steve wanted to come again right then and there.Bucky’s words— his voice— his scent— his soft skin and hard calluses, the rough hair of his body and the soft hair of his head, his hard dick pressing into Steve’s prostate— it was all so much.Steve had thought he was experienced, but every time with Bucky felt like there was something new to discover.Some little area touched just a little differently.A subtle shift in tone that changed the meaning of their words completely.A small shift in angle.Sex with Bucky was already a hundred different sensory experiences in one.Tonight, with Bucky insisting on giving Steve as much pleasure as he could physically stand— well, it was already almost overload, and they weren’t even halfway through.

Bucky came with a guttural yell and a shudder.He paused for a moment, sweat dripping and mingling with the cum that was pooling and sticking on Steve’s abdomen.Steve became hard again at the sight.Bucky noticed and grinned up at Steve, slowly rolling his hips.Steve noticed that Bucky hadn’t even fully come down from his first orgasm before he was hard again.Steve bit his lip as Bucky sped up his thrusts and began to rub Steve off with the same tempo.Steve began to gasp again, short and high.He felt his climax building and realized that Bucky’s was too.They came together, their cries and sweat mingling, and Bucky collapsed on top of Steve and began to kiss him.

“That’s four, Stevie darling,” Bucky informed him.“I want to cum inside you more, but I also need you inside me, daddy,” he said.

“I don’t know if I can, Baby,” Steve groaned.“You got me so good- so good, Bucky,” he babbled as he gently pushed Bucky’s hair out of his eyes.

“Just open me up, darling,” Bucky begged, “and I’ll do all the work.”

“Well, Daddy, since you ask me so nicely,” Steve conceded.He lubed his fingers and began to slowly work Bucky open.His balls ached, but Steve’s dick still wanted more.It twitched feebly at the sensation of Bucky’s colon tight against his fingers.Steve worked Bucky into an orgasm via his prostate and Bucky came for a third time, his semen mixing with Steve’s.

Steve gently pulled his fingers out and then grabbed Bucky’s hips, pulling him down onto Steve’s groin.They ground against each other until Steve was hard enough for Bucky to finally sink down, enveloping Steve’s lubed penis with his warmth.Steve bent his knees to give Bucky some support as Bucky began to work his hips and ass, grinding up and down on Steve.He began to speed up.Steve curled forward and took Bucky’s dick into his mouth, moving in time to their thrusts.They came in sync again— Bucky into Steve’s mouth, Steve into Bucky’s ass.

Bucky didn’t move, though.He just sat on Steve, looking at him and grinning.“You’re so beautiful, Stevie,” he said.“I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

“I dunno,” Steve murmured lazily.His balls were starting to hurt again with exhaustion.“I’m feelin’ pretty damn lucky right now too.”

Bucky reached back and cupped Steve’s poor balls.“Whaddya think, Stevie?” he asked.“Got one more in ya?”

“I dunno, Bucky,” Steve said, his voice full of regret.“I hurt so bad, I dunno if I got anythin’ left.”

Bucky nodded and got off of Steve.He lay down beside him and gently turned Steve’s face towards him.“You’ve had seven orgasms in the past 24 hours.That still beats your PR, right?”Steve nodded.“Then I’ve done what I set out to do,” Bucky said, satisfied.They lay together, enjoying the sensation of skin against skin, until Steve realized that the dried semen on his body hair was making him itchy.

“We should shower,” Steve said with a disappointed sigh.

“We could take a bath,” Bucky suggested.“I think I’ve even got a real nice bath bomb left.Vanilla cedarwood.”

Steve gazed at Bucky adoringly.“I’d like that,” he said.

They slowly made their way to the bathroom, a little stiff from the prolonged attention to their asses.Steve grabbed his shampoo, conditioner, and soap from the shower as Bucky ran the bath.They were a tight fit, but it was nice to have a reason to continue to be so close.They carefully washed each other, rubbing each other’s sore muscles, scrubbing each other’s scalps until they were in danger of falling asleep in the tub.By the time they were rinsed and had dried each other off it was near daybreak.

“Wanna watch the sunrise?” Bucky asked.

Steve smiled.“That sounds real nice, Buck,” he answered.

They threw on running shorts and sweatshirts, not even bothering with underwear or shoes.Steve held Bucky’s hand as they made their way to the rooftop.Bucky grabbed his pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his stash box and they climbed onto the roof of the stairwell, facing east.The horizon was already a light yellow streaked with pink.

They watched in silence as the sky brightened, the stars disappeared, and the city lights dimmed.The water began to shimmer and lighten in color.Finally, the sun broke over the horizon, bathing the world in a yellowish gold hue.Steve was momentarily dazzled.He squeezed Bucky’s hand and let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

“Our new beginning,” Bucky murmured softly.

Steve couldn’t help it.He began to cry from happiness.


	17. My Eyes Are on the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky open their wedding presents from their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for sticking this out with me! Your kudos and kind comments mean so much <3
> 
> I'm going to be taking a break from this series to work on an AU. Don't worry, though- I've got plenty more ideas for these idiots bouncing around in my brain.
> 
> Chapter title is from "Next in Line" by Walk the Moon.

When they got back to their apartment Steve and Bucky realized that the bed was too disgusting to sleep in.“Couch?” Steve asked wearily.Bucky nodded.Steve collapsed on the couch and Bucky collapsed on Steve.Steve pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around them.It didn’t take them long to drift off to sleep.

Around noon they were woken up by a soft murmur in the kitchen.They roused themselves to find Sam and Nat in the process of moving presents from the kitchen table onto a cart.“Oh good, you’re awake!” Nat said.“We were going to have to start your own present-opening party without you.”

“We didn’t want presents,” Steve grumbled as he and Bucky shifted so they could both sit up.

“Tough cookies,” Sam told them.“Make yourselves decent.We’ve got coffee and food, and Auntie Becca’s here too.”

“I think Becca’s adopted the whole team,” Steve said to Bucky as they got dressed and made themselves presentable.

Bucky rolled his eyes.“I swear Becs is what would happen if your ma and my ma had fused into one superior example of motherhood,” he said.“She’s ended up bein’ all the Jewish and Irish mother stereotypes rolled into one, I swear.”

“Her poor children,” Steve said, shaking his head in mock pity and faking an Irish accent,“Forced to eat nothin’ but potatoes every which way and havin’ the fear of God put in ‘em daily.”

Bucky laughed.“I think it’s much more likely God has a healthy fear of Becs rather’n the other way round,” he joked.“It’s why she’s lived this long.She’s informed Him she ain’t leavin’ ’til she’s had a chance to mother everyone in existence.”

Steve smiled wryly.He wished he could say the same had been true for his own mother.“Ready?” he asked Bucky.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Bucky grumbled.

Everyone clapped and cheered when Steve and Bucky walked into the common area.Steve blushed, but Bucky hammed it up and waved cheerily.They walked over to join their friends at the large dining table and sat down.Tony brought them mugs of coffee as the others started passing food towards them.

Steve realized with a sudden jolt of pleasure just how many friends the two of them had now.Once, it had been Steve and Bucky against the world.Now, Sam and Nat were sitting on either side of Becca, deep in conversation with her.Tony and Pepper were interacting with the telltale awkwardness of a couple who’s just realized that one of them has been ready for marriage for a while now and the other one has only just considered it.Kate and Clint and Peter and Maria were talking shop.Steve frowned when he realized that Bruce, Thor, and Loki were missing.Pepper caught his look and informed him, “Loki went into labor this morning.Bruce is helping with delivery and Thor wanted to be with his brother.”Steve nodded.

“So, what kind of babies do we think are gonna come out?” Bucky whisper-asked Steve.“And d’ya think we can have one as a pet?”

“Bucky, those are Loki’s _kids_,” Steve whisper-hissed back. “You don’t just— I mean—“He began to feel slightly distressed.He had no idea what form the offspring of a shapeshifting frost giant and (presumably) a wolf would produce, let alone where the line was between a pet and a child.It was a little too much to think about at brunch.He settled for taking an extra large bite of quiche instead.

The moment Steve and Bucky had cleared their plates and set down their forks Tony inquired, “Presents?”Steve looked at Bucky, wanting to complain— they didn’t need anything, and they’d specifically asked for donations to charity— but Bucky glared at Steve so fiercely that Steve decided against it.Their presents had been moved to the coffee table, so Steve and Bucky grabbed their coffees and headed for the couch.Chairs were shifted so that everyone could sit in a circle and watch.

“Now,” Tony said, “We know you didn’t want presents, but since we’re your friends we have a prerogative to ignore your requests.Also, Bruce gave me a message from Thor and Loki.Thor’s gift was that Asgardian mead.Apparently it’s traditional to spend the honeymoon drunk on the stuff?Anyway, there are still eleven untapped kegs and they are to accompany you on your trip.”

Tony squinted at his phone as he read the next one.“And I’m not sure I’m reading this right, but I _think_ Loki has promised you a wolf puppy.One of them needs to go back to Asgard with him to fulfill some sort of mythological destiny bullshit, but the other one will apparently make you a very nice, loyal, and exceptionally long-living pet.Unless it devours you in your sleep.Um, ok, Pepper, I think we’re gonna need to review housing contracts on this one,” Tony said in a slightly strangled voice.Steve could feel Bucky vibrating with excitement next to him.

“And finally,” Tony continued, “Bruce says that you’ll find part of his present in your luggage.He apologizes for not having your custom tea blends ready, but he wasn’t expecting to assist in a lupine delivery this morning.”Steve looked at Bucky and squeezed his hand.Bucky grinned back.

Kate picked a present from the table at random and passed it to Steve.“From Nat,” he said as he read the tag on the bag.He looked up at Nat, but her face was impassive.Steve reached in and found something large and hard.He pulled it out and promptly gaped in horror as he realized that it was.

“What the hell,” Bucky muttered in awe as he stared at the 10-inch vibrating purple dildo in Steve’s hand.

“There’s more,” Nat said demurely.Steve shoved the dildo into Bucky’s hand and plunged his own back into the bag.He pulled out a bottle of toy cleaner, a set of anal beads, and a butt plug.Becca was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face; she occasionally had to take a break to cough but resumed laughing when she had her breath back.Peter was bright red and looked as though he wished the floor would swallow him up.“The receipt’s in there too if none of those things are to your… taste,” Nat informed them.

“Thank you,” Steve managed to say in a strained voice.Bucky was still looking at the dildo with awe and wonder.

Kate handed Bucky the next package, adding, “This one should be safe, it’s from Peter,” as she placed the slim box into his hands.Bucky carefully unwrapped it— neither of them had gotten out of the habit of saving wrapping paper— and teared up at what he found.Steve peered over and saw that it was one of the photos Peter had taken yesterday, encased in a thin metal frame.Peter had captured Steve and Bucky’s faces during the moment in the ceremony when Clint had declared them husband and husband.The amount of love and joy on their faces gave Steve a physical ache.He gently removed his hand from Bucky’s and wrapped his arm around Bucky’s shoulders instead.

“Well, pass it around!” demanded Becca. 

Bucky smiled through his tears and passed the photo to Tony on his left.“I didn’t know I could- could look like that, anymore,” he whispered hoarsely.“Happy.”

“Oh, Bucky,” Steve murmured softly as he pulled him close and gently kissed his hair.He noticed that the vast majority of people present seemed to have overheard what Bucky said and were studiously doing their best to pretend they hadn’t.Steve gave them all an appreciative glance.

The next present was from Pepper.Steve and Bucky opened the small envelope together and Steve pulled out the slip of paper that was inside.“It’s an IOU,” Pepper explained.“I’ll handle the paperwork for your legal name changes.You both want to be Barnes-Rogers, correct?With a hyphen?”

Steve and Bucky looked at each other.“Correct,” they said in unison.

“Perfect,” Pepper said with a smile and a nod.

The presents kept coming.Kate and Maria gave them matching “Mr.” mugs and some nice coffee.Clint gave them a very nice bottle of single malt Scotch and a giant bottle of lube.Sam gave them a coffee table book of pictures of cows, making Bucky groan and forcing Steve to hint that it was an inside joke that he would NOT be explaining right now.

Becca insisted on handing her present to Bucky herself.“It’s all the old family recipes,” she explained as he opened it.“Everyone in the family contributed a little story to go with each recipe, so you can see how they’ve grown with the family throughout the years.”

Before anyone could really register what was going on Bucky had pulled Becca onto his lap as easily as he’d done when she was a toddler and he and Steve were enveloping her in a giant hug.“I started working on it after Steve came back,” Becca sobbed.“I hoped— well, maybe if he made it, you would too.I never felt like you were really dead, Jimmy, just like I never really felt like Steve was.That’s why I didn’t give you my recipes, Steve,” she added before falling into a coughing attack.Steve could only hold Becca and Bucky tighter in response.Bucky began to rub her back automatically as she hacked, the same way he’d rubbed Steve’s countless times before when he’d been sick.

After a few minutes their tears subsided.Nat wordlessly passed them a kleenex box and they began to laugh at themselves, occasionally interrupted by a hiccuping sob.Steve gently helped Becca back into her chair.Tony moved over so she could sit next to Bucky, who now had one hand holding Steve’s hand an the other holding Becca’s.

“Well,” said Tony awkwardly, “this is gonna be a little weird coming after that ridiculously disgusting display of mutual sibling hatred—“ here Bucky and Becca laughed— “but here you go.”He passed a key on a Captain America shield keychain to Becca, who passed it on to Bucky.Bucky held it up by the o-ring as he and Steve stared at it.

“It’s the key to your house,” Tony explained. 

Steve blinked, not sure he’d heard Tony right.“Our _what_?” Bucky gasped.

“I mean, I still expect you to live in the tower when you’re on duty, obviously, and you’re welcome here any other time, obviously, but— well, I know it can be hard on a relationship when you’re living with half a dozen outsized personalities, and when I was talking with Pepper about what sorts of things have helped make our relationship work I realized part of it was having our other houses to go to when we need a break for just us, so there you go.Your own little beach cottage on your own little island with your own little air strip.Plus it’s technically under the jurisdiction of the Bahamas, so if you ever get pissed off at the US government and decide to shift some of your money over to a tax haven to avoid paying for policies you find unethical— hey!” Tony yelled as Pepper gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs at the mention of tax shelters.

“Which actually brings us to… your honeymoon!” Kate exclaimed, bouncing slightly.“Your plane leaves in…” she checked her smart watch.“One hour.”

“You’re mostly packed,” Sam explained.“And the house is all ready for you.”

“We got you all new clothes so we wouldn’t arouse your suspicions,” Pepper explained.

“—Not that we actually expect you to wear them, since it’s a _private island_ and you’re on your _honeymoon_,” Clint interjected.

“Everything practical plus some reckless and stupid,” Sam said.“Food.Water.Extra linens.Fire pit supplies.Mead.Weed.Lube.Cigarettes.A different pair of sunglasses for each day of the week.A motor boat.Snorkel supplies.”

“Your favorite knives and guns so you can use the training range I designed, plus some new weapons the military won’t let us test on US soil,” Nat told Bucky.“I stole your weapons to pack them while you were watching the sunrise this morning.”

“While she was doing that I stole and packed your art supplies,” Kate informed Steve.

“Basically, what we’re saying is you should probably go finish packing whatever else you might need,” Pepper said.

“… and I need to add your sex toys to your luggage.Later, fam,” Nat said.She re-bagged her present and sauntered out of the room.

Steve watched from the window of the plane as the New York City skyline receded from view.Bucky was already in the process of falling asleep on Steve’s shoulder.He wasn’t sure what lie ahead.Whatever it was, though, would be a million times more bearable— or a million times more amazing— with his husband at his side.Steve smiled and began to drift off to sleep himself.


End file.
